Spelunking in the Rio Camuy Caves

We take risks not to escape Life... but to prevent Life from escaping us.

I came upon the Aventuras site while looking up what I was going to do in Puerto Rico. I dismissed at first, deeming the caving adventure too expensive, even though it was rated by National Geographic as one of its 500 of the World's Greatest Trips. However, after mulling it over for a few days and the encouragement of my roommate I changed my mind and booked their Caving adventure (they also do a Canyoning adventure).

The 5:45am pickup time is kick-you-in-your-groin jarring, it is brutal for being on holiday. The only ordinary part of the day you will encounter is the check-in with the guides for the day. Then before you know it a red carpet is rolled out, the Indiana Jones theme music blares, a faux megaphone beckons you to board the bus and we are off on this adventure. I don't know what the guides put in their coffee but they are inconceivably bubbly at this god-forsaken hour. Our guides at the pick-up were Rossano Boscarino (Lead Guide) and Anibal Reyes(Chauffer, Guide and Comedian). Both Rossano and Anibal make the drive to the caves unforgettable, Anibal provides an amazing array of noise-effects that compliment Rossano's jokes. The constant Indiana Jones references almost convinces you that you are embarking to the Temple Of Doom.

A local bakery, serves as the halfway point pit stop before we hit the entrance of the cave. Here we pick-up the sandwiches Rossano ordered for us from the bus and any additional water/drinks.

A discrete pathway off a rural road is the starting point of our adventure. Aventuras has a station setup, where you can leave your belongings, take showers and change. I was first off the bus and made my way to the backpack lockers, I almost laughed at what welcomed me at the locker - a snake. I thought it was one of the many gags that the guides had been playing on us since the bus. After seeking confirmation from Johnny (another guide who had joined), it indeed was real and fortunately non-poisonous. Suffice to say I made sure all the pockets in my back pack were zipped-up!

From here we were off to the get our training in repelling/zip-lining and climbing the via ferrata (Italian for "iron road") at the staging area that Aventuras has setup. The initial decent to the staging area also serves as a gauge for the physical abilities of each individual.

After we were equipped with the appropriate apparatus for zip-lining and repelling we were off (yours truly volunteering to go first). The thrill of zip-lining across a jungle sinkhole is like no other. The smells emanating from the jungle flora, the dew filled air being disturbed by your being and your iris' adjusting to decipher each of the many hues of green coming from the jungle floor and the canopy above is a sensory overload. There are four zip-lines on your way to the entrance of the caves. Each being as spectacular as the last. Next up was a repel down the cliff over-hang of the caves entrance, at this point you begin to soak up the humidity in the air around you.

Once at the entrance of the cave, the humidity is so abundant it makes photography almost impossible.

After the entire group had gathered we were off into the belly of the cave. Not even five minutes into the we were faced with our first jump - a relatively small ten foot drop into the river makes sure you are drenched for here onwards.

As we meandered through the caves, the occasional fruit bat would fly-by or the helmet flashlight would spot a scorpion, or the alien-like spiders. The roaches were the most wildly abundant, and I would not suggest this to the roach phobic! But, the beauty of the calcite deposits are all-around and could be easily missed in the damp, dark environment. The calcite deposits that form the stalagmite formation on the floor of the cave are so course, at one point we were able to scale a wall of calcite without using any ropes. At the decent of this same wall was the 'Lake of Nutella', as Rosanno described. At one point, the cave was flooded by a huge tropical downpour and once the water seeped through the porous rock it left behind the type of mud that has an appetite for all kinds of shoes. To overcome losing our shoes, we were instructed to run, run like hell. The scene that followed went something like this: imagine beams of light bouncing off walls, mud being kicked up in all directions- sometimes settling precariously closed to an open mouth that is sucking in every bit of the dense, heavy air. The inevitable happened, someone lost a shoe, albeit momentarily - he was one of the lucky ones - usually the shoes are never to be found.

After conquering the Lake of Nutella, everyone paused for a moment to catch their breath. Next up was the blind 20' jump, everyone shuts off their helmet lights and gets to experience this exhilarating jump. Next up was the sump that we were warned of earlier- indeed the sump was the reason why we set out on our caving adventure so early in the morning. Before we move on, a Sump is the passage in a cave that is submerged under water. This particular sump was navigable without oxygen tanks during the morning, prior to the downpours of the afternoon. Fortunately, we got there with about a foot of air between the roof of the sump and the water level.

After navigating these obstacles we stopped for lunch (sandwiches we had bought earlier at the bakery). The Aventuras team does a great job in setting this up- the location for lunch is in a huge opening in the cave, the acoustics are incredible and they are at the ready with some soothing music and lanterns that light-up the huge concert hall-like cavern. Padding is provided for both comfort and to keep us away from any Guano that may be present on the cave floor. After lunch, we were back were headed back stopping to marvel at some huge calcite formations and then there was the Lake of Nutella to be tackled. This time no shoes were lost.

We floated out of the cave the same way we entered and then it was onto conquer two more zip lines and the via ferrata. on the way back to Aventuras outpost to clean-up after the muddy and drenching excursion.

It is definitely one of my top ten moments of all my travels. It is exhilarating and the camaraderie that is fostered during a relatively short period of time is a testament to the effort the guides put into ensuring this.

Back in the outpost were replenished with some snacks and shared battle stories. And then, before we knew it, it was time to head back to San Juan.

Everyone was still in a buzz, adrenaline still running high. Eventually though, most people gave into the tiredness, the lack of sleep including myself and the bus quietened down. Some fell asleep, some listening to music in retrospect of what was achieved that day in the Puerto Rican jungle.

For anyone going to Puerto Rico, I highly advise doing this! It is truly a rewarding and unlike any other way to spend your vacation.

Contact AventurasPR at:

info@aventuraspr.com or their website at http://www.aventuraspr.com/

Besides Rossano and Anibal the Aventuras team consists of:

Johnny Rodríguez

Iván Cruz

Tiri Rodríguez

Jazmin Ruiz 

Huge Thanks to the entire team in making the Caving experience so unforgettable!

Puerto Rico > Oahu!

I love Red-Eye’s, not the eye ailment, but the flights that are known so ubiquitously. No matter how much other travelers despise them, I have an affinity for them. They allow me to work a full-day and yet be at my destination the following morning (within reason/distance of course) ready to explore. Now, this may sound foreign to those readers in Europe and elsewhere in the world. But, for us in the American workforce we know what a luxury each day of paid-time-off is.

 
My most recent red-eye took me to the shores of the Caribbean. Puerto Rico to be exact, known in Spanish as Isla Del Encanto (which translates into "the island of enchantment”). Having slept through the majority of the first and half of the second flight (I had to connect at EWR) I was feeling as refreshed as you can be after an eleven hour sojourn cross-country. Any sleepiness that lingered was quickly extinguished while landing. We actually experienced what they call a ‘hard landing’. I knew something had gone awry when I heard the engines rev back-up upon touch-down. So, after a failed landing we took to the skies once again and circled Luiz Munoz International Airport. 

After a successful second landing, grabbing my luggage and renting my car for the duration of my stay I found my out of the airport and headed towards the Condado area. I checked into my studio apartment that I had rented for a steal, considering the location, from Airbnb. I proceeded to walk the well-manicured, ocean and lagoon straddling main-drag of the Condado area of San Juan. Within steps of my apartment were many eateries, bars and luxury hotels with casinos and more restaurants. Famished, I went in search of some local fare. First up was a Medalla (local beer) and some Ropa Viejo (shredded flank steak in a tomato sauce base) Mofongo. Mofongo is a Puerto Rican staple made from mashed up fried green plantains. After satisfying my satiety, next up was a swim in the warm Caribbean waters that were lapping onto a small strip of beach adjacent to the Conrad Condado Hotel. It was by no means the best beach, but it sufficed and I was enjoying the tropical, salty breeze that almost had a lullaby affect. 

After sunset I headed back to the studio and rested, being that it was a Friday night I wanted to save some energy for the nightlife. 

Boriquans don't go out till late - with dinner also being a late affair. Even at 8 o'clock the restaurants were relatively quiet. I went to a Peruvian/Puerto Rican fusion restaurant (Puerto Peru) for dinner - my waiter a Dominican transplant and like many locals was friendly and even gave me a list of all the hot spots to check out. That night I tried mofongo again, this time the prawn variety, it went down well with the strong Mojitos that were being served at this very fine establishment. :) The streets slowly started to get busy, with many a local crowding the streets to what is the equivalent of the 'joy ride' or 'jerk ride' as it was explained to me by a very friendly taxi driver.

That night I ended up first in Old San Juan's Nuyorican Cafe, it's more dance club than a cafe. That night they had a live salsa band and many of the patrons were getting their salsa groove on. However, my highlight from the San Juan area that night was a hole-in-the-wall bar adjacent to Nuyorican Cafe. It was, from what I gathered, an all local crowd drinking rum concoctions and listening to Reggaeton. Randomly though, this bar actually had a ceremonial mask that can only be found in Sri Lanka. After a couple hours here and getting to know some locals I headed to Club Brava at the San Juan Hotel. After another Mojito and some people watching I was back heading towards Condado. It was close to 4:30am when I decided to call it quits. 

Saturday was Discovery of Puerto Rico day, unfortunately I slept-in till late. I did catch some festivities in Old San Juan late in the afternoon. It was a great day and the locals were enjoying the celebrations of their history. Old San Juan is also a great spot for all types of photogs and I was enjoying the various photo opportunities that presented itself, especially in the waning daylight. On the recommendation of some friends I went to Barrachina - the birthplace of the Original Piña Colada. Honestly, the Piña Colada wasn't my cup of tea (this was my very first). The pineapple and coconut cream mixture takes some getting used and after one of them I switched back to Mojitos. While I was waiting on my dinner, Bistec Fortelaza (Skirt Steak stuffed with ham, Swiss cheese, onions and peppers covered in mushroom sauce), I was chatting to an Australian couple who attested that the Piña Colada here was indeed the best in San Juan (at least by their standards). C'est la vie. Tonight, I headed back to the studio early. For tomorrow I'd be going on an adventure, an adventure that is rated Top 500 by National Geographic! 

Early in the morning, 5:45am we were off to the Rio Camuy Caves for some Caving/Spelunking. (More on that to come). The Caving adventure was probably one of my favorite excursions I've done in all my travels and I'd highly recommend it anyone that is visiting Puerto Rico. (www.aventuraspr.com)

I was so tired after the physicality and the lack of sleep from the previous night that I passed out for a few hours back at the studio. That night I was keen to go out, but I had another early morning planned with a snorkeling excursion the following morning. 

Monday morning, I was off to the coastal town of Fajardo - about an hours drive from San Juan. I had booked a snorkeling excursion with a local outfitter just south of Fajardo. Unfortunately, the swells were preventing us heading towards Culebra. I was keen on Culebra because its Flamenco Beach is highly recommended by travelers and locals alike. Instead, we were off to the uninhabited island of Icacos. As soon as we were given the all clear I was in the water. While the rest of the folks were still loitering on the boat!!! While the snorkeling didn't compare to the snorkeling I had done earlier this year in Thailand it still was amazing. In my opinion the higher salt content of the Caribbean makes it easier to snorkel for a long period of time. In fact, I had stayed out in the water the entire time we were in Icacos. Saw some really awesome marine life; including a trumpet fish that camouflaged itself amidst the sea weed and an extremely shy octopus that I happened upon for a brief second. There was a Blue Tang that followed me around the reefs off Icacos and another that kept me company on the reefs of Palamino later (our second stop). Most snorkeling outfitters provide lunch and unlimited rum punches and other beverages. 

My excursions for the day hadn't finished, next on the schedule was kayaking in the bio-luminescent bay (La Laguna Grande) north of Fajardo. There are two-trips that each outfitter plans for the night, one right after dusk and the well into the night. I headed out on the later excursion. None of the review could prepare me for this experience. You set out in pitch black conditions, the only thing to guide you are small LED lights on the guides kayak. The entrance to the larger lagoon is through a mile-long strip of water that is fenced in by mangroves. Before getting into the lagoon proper you could spot hints of the single-celled bioluminescent dinoflagellates as oar broke the serenity of the water. Some kayaking ability is required as there are many kayaking outfitters that lead tours into the lagoon and the opportunity for crashing with other kayakers is high. Once in the lagoon you can run your hand in the water, and it would seem your hand was 'on fire' underwater. This is one place you would hope for a brief tropical shower, imagine seeing the water light-up as each droplet disturbed the surface. The whole excursion takes about an hour and a half. The darker it is, especially moonless nights are the best to go out onto the lagoon.

My last full day in San Juan (and Puerto Rico) and I was hell-bent on making the most of it. I had to, had to, eat some BBQ-ed pork! After hearing so much about La Ruta del Lechon (the 'pork highway') from Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern I was sure it'd be on my to-do-list. However, there was a place right in San Juan that could rival the lechoneras of Cayey, Bebo's. So for lunch on Tuesday I was at Bebos, just before the locals got off for their lunch break. I ordered both the BBQ pork and some flavored rice. What was most impressive was that the pork wasn't doused with many a spice, but held up all on its own. All I can say is, you have to go to Bebo's when in San Juan. All BBQ pork should taste like that. To avoid a food coma I was off to old San Juan to catch the ferry over to the Bacardi Rum factory. The ferry is really cheap to Cataño, 50 cents one way. It also allows you a different view of San Juan, especially the huge cruise ships that come into the harbor to dock. The neighborhood around the Bacardi rum factory is dodgy - especially right outside the ferry dock. I enjoyed the tour of distillery and the two free drinks that comes with the tour. Although, I don't know if it's worth taking a taxi over to it ($35, one way). I'd only suggest it if you have extra time to spend in San Juan. I took the ferry back to Old town San Juan and spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening walking around the fort and the cobble-stone streets of the old town. 

That night, I wanted to try the up-scale restaurant at the Conrad Condado called Pikayo. It was pricey but the food was good - I had the jumbo prawns and pork belly sliders and many a mojito to wash it down. I finished the night off smoking a cigar and sipping some eight year old Bacardi rum at a open-air restaurant (Via Appia) facing the 'window to the sea' park. It was the perfect end to my Puerto Rican adventure - Rum, Cigar and Pork being the common thread that wove this trip together.

The next morning after checking out of my studio I was back heading towards Bebo's for a final BBQ pork and ribs combo before heading to the airport, across the street). The perfect send-off to an enchanting place. 

I know the title of this post is startling but in all honesty I had a blast in Puerto Rico. It still maintains its own culture - something I missed in Hawaii. I hope you all give Puerto Rico to enchant you. I know it certainly left a lasting impression on me.

Finding Serendipity Pt.1

Serendipity: an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.

It had been five years since my last visit, I was in college then.
This time, just as all the previous times, I found myself picturing the various locales, people and the food - oh the food! Next to the people, the food is what I miss most about Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka, has been known by many names over the years. Most recently as Ceylon (like the tea - the only remaining industry that uses it) and Serendib for millennia before that. It is the root for Serendipity.

After enduring the thirty-four hour journey from San Francisco, I found myself at Bandaranaike International Airport, just after midnight. I was due to meet-up with a college friend, Kim, who was gallivanting across South-East Asia for the past four-months. Kim was on her last leg and the timing worked out so that she could meet me in Colombo for five days before she headed back stateside.

I tried to sleep-in but the adrenalin and jet-lag meant that I was up at 8am. Kim was already adjusted seeing as that she just arrived from Kuala Lumpur. We spent the rest of the acclimatizing and spending some time with my Grandma.

The next day we were outward bound to the north-east corner of the island; our first stop stop being the Habarana in the heart of the Cultural Triangle. Habarana is the gateway to Sigiriya, a UNESCO world heritage site, and declared by the same as the 8th Wonder of the World. Sigiriya (directly translated to "Lions rock") is an ancient rock fortress having a vast network of gardens, rock structures, reservoirs and frescos. Sigiriya has an interesting history and is a relatively medium difficulty hike up to the top.

Sigiriya Rock

Kim and I started our climb just before lunch - this is the first place where we would experience the two-tiered pricing system; one for the locals and one for tourists. Fortunately, I was able to get the local price. Kim couldn't pull of the local look in time. After crossing the moat, we stopped briefly to get some sunscreen on - we let our guard down briefly before a cheeky little monkey almost made off with Kim's backpack (which had her passport). In hindsight, the image i have of her having a tug-of war with a monkey is quite amusing. After seeing this for a few seconds I stepped in and gave the monkey a gentle yet stern kick which surprised it and Kim was able to wrest control of her backpack! You can't make this stuff up. :)

Having safely navigated the monkey we were making quick work of the relatively easy hike. We encountered both tourists and locals alike. Some local women choosing to make the climb in Sari's and heels!! We made a detour through the restored frescos and The Mirror Wall and made our way to the top through the "Lion's mouth". The view from the top was breathtaking. The lush rainforests below looked like they spread as far as the horizon, only briefly interrupted by a solitary ivory white statue of a standing Buddha and distant lakes.

Frescoes along the way to the top of the Rock

After making our way down we headed to our hotel where we would relax before heading to the north-east coast town of Trincomalee the next morning. Trincomalee boasts one of the world's deepest natural harbors and unspoiled beaches. This is mainly due to the civil war that ravaged until 2009. Thankfully, that chapter of Sri Lanka's history is just that, history.

Before heading to Trinco we made a detour to Polonnaruwa- one of two ancient kingdoms in Sri Lanka's history and formerly a capital city. The ancient city is also a UNESCO World heritage site and was used by Duran Duran as the back drop to their video of "Save a Prayer". The three forms of the Buddha, Standing, Meditating and Sleeping are giant statues and are both a religious and historically relevant site for locals. The ruins are well preserved and date back to 1070A.D. The giant stupas, the intricately carved stone statutes and decorative passageways sheds light into a civilization that compares with many in the region, well worth a visit.

Ruins at Polonnaruwa

A giant Stupa (Temple)

Sleeping Buddha ( 1 of 3 giant stone Buddha structures in Polonnaruwa)

On our way back we to the road to Trinco, an Asian elephant decided to enthrall us on the road-side while almost scaring a Tuk-Tuk driver off the road, all this while a giant Standing Buddha overlooked this truly Sri Lankan of a scene.

In the past few months the rain had been unrelenting in Sri Lanka and the roads told that story being riddled with potholes. The rented car bearing the brunt of this. We were on a road that was constructed on the lip of a dam and this wear the trip turned into an adventure. Both Kim and I were admiring the view that the lip of the dam offered one minute and the next the driver was trying to trying to figure out the rattling noise that interrupted this serene view moments earlier. In minutes, on what seemed a stretch of road that was a few miles away from any town we had a mechanic that had come to the scene of the breakdown. It was quite amazing. For the moment our spirits were high, we still had about 2 liters of water and some crackers and cheese as sustenance. After performing a quick-fix on top of the dam we found a Garage in the middle of nowhere, which had no cars in sight that looked in working condition - which proved to be a rather ominous sign. It finally took five hours to get back on the road. At the end our high spirits were doused and then briefly lifted once we were on the road. All in all it took us five and a half hours to travel 34km! The hunger and the heat really starting to take it's toll, especially after we missed lunch, we were now some 9km from the hotel (Nilaveli Beach Hotel) when the car decided to breakdown once more. At this point we had to abandon it and hailed one of the many Tuk-Tuk's passing-by to take us this last stretch. We, at last, checked-in to the hotel just as dusk was giving way to the night. I was on edge the entire time, and offering many an apology to Kim who had endured through this with me. Lesson learned.

After a nice cold shower the next thing we wanted to remedy was our hunger. Thankfully the hotel's dinner buffet did not disappoint. Any assumption of a cuisine that is ubiquitous island-wide is quickly doused, as the chef at Nilaveli showcased the South-Indian influence in this region during dinner and the rest of our stay.

The following morning was glorious as it could only be in the tropics. I was as anxious as only an island-born could be when I saw the cyan blue hues of the Indian Ocean. Soon after breakfast, I was in the water - . It was as perfect as a Corona advertisement. Before long the usual late afternoon tropical shower cut the sun-basking short. My parents, sister, grandma and some family friends joined us later that afternoon.

The next morning, after breakfast we headed back to Colombo. All the while hoping that a repeat of our adventure of car breakdowns didn't continue. Fortunately, even with the rain, we made it back to Colombo without any breakdowns.

After a bit of a rest we headed out that night with some of my friends. Friends that I've knows since I was five or six years old. We headed out to a place called R&B (Rhythm & Blues). It's a smart-casual kind of spot with a dance floor - pretentiousness was non-existent, so I was quite happy here. Since we were with a large group the usual M.O. in Colombo is to order a bottle or two. Invariably it ends up being cheaper than buying individual drinks. I know this is unheard of in the US. After a raucous night Kim and I made our way back to Battaramulla, where we had been basing ourselves since our arrival. The following morning was rough - local hangover cures includes drinking King coconut juice. Which actually has been catching on in places like Australia and UK and even here in the US. The amount of electrolytes found in this miracle juice is twice as many as found in your run-of-the-mill sports drink.

After nursing the hangover, Kim and I set out to the shops. Kim wanted to pick-up some local souvenirs as she was departing Sri Lanka and heading home later on that night.

I was at a family friends' place for dinner that night and called it an early night as tomorrow another friend of mine would arrive on this island, my island, to seek serendipity.

To be continued....

Becoming a foodie in Chicago!

Up until my sojourn to Chicago last weekend, I, in all my travels had not made it to the American mid-west - a glaring hole in my travels around the globe. Keen to rectify the situation, a plan was hatched three months prior, while on a visit to Boston to meet-up with one of my good friends Marianne. We were visiting her during the 4th of July weekend, and Boston is a great place to experience it (more on this in a future post). When she mentioned that she was preparing for a Marathon - the Chicago Marathon. I jumped on the idea of heading to the Windy City and use as an excuse the fact that I would show up to cheer on Marianne and Oded while they ran the 26.2 miles.

First things first - getting a reservation at the infamous Girl & The Goat, this is where Chicago would convert me into a foodie - lock, stock, and barrel. More on this later.

Finally the weekend of the Chicago Marathon arrived. I had booked an early evening flight out of San Francisco - sadly I couldn't take the day-off. After leaving work fairly late, I got into SFO with only forty-five minutes left till my flight took-off. I know, very ambitious! Suffice to say, I missed the flight - fortunately there was another flight into O'Hare half an hour later with ample seats available for stragglers.

While I was at the United counter I noticed an elderly couple speaking Italian at the counter adjacent to mine, their luggage covered in Ferrari decals - finding this curios and being the Smart-Alec that I'm, I said something. Turns out the gentleman was actually one of the VP's of Ferrari! (unverified, but still a good story-I'll take his word for it)

Friday night in downtown Chicago was actually quieter than I expected. By the time I checked into my hotel it was passed midnight. I headed out immediately in search of food, at the hotel's suggestion I went to an Irish Pub that was still serving food. I was pleasantly surprised to catch the Ireland vs. Wales Rugby World Cup match at the restaurant and ordered some food driven by my extreme hunger. Again, the bar was rather mellow for a Friday night. Marianne and Oded had landed earlier that morning but had also called it an early night and I was due to meet up with them early on Saturday morning. Keen to get an early start myself, I called it a night after finishing my meal.

Saturday was an absolutely fantastic fall day in Chicago! Shorts, flip-flops - it was 75F (24C) at 9AM. I actually was up and about before I expected. Like a good traveler, I headed to Cloudgate, or otherwise effectionatly called by locals "The Bean" at Millenium Park. I was due to meet-up with Marianne & Oded there. I actually arrived while the throngs of tourists was at a minimal, mostly runners who were getting a final run before the big day. The backdrop of all the skyscrapers reflecting off Cloudgate was providing great fodder to keep a novice photog like myself occupied for hours. Fortunately, Marianne and Oded arrived promptly to whisk me to other great parts of Chicago.

Breakfast was on our schedule next and we walked what seemed like miles looking for a breakfast spot. In spite of having GPS-enabled phones we were sent on a wild goose-chase; the type that can only be brought about only when exploring a new city. This is that feeling/state that travelers get hooked onto and tourist try to negate. It turned out the breakfast spot (Meli Cafe on Wells St.)- a place know for it's french toast- would end-up near my hotel and also close to our next tourist activity for the day: an architectural tour of Chicago by boat. The french toast didn't disappoint.

Next was the famous architectural tour of Chicago by boat, we had booked our tickets beforehand since we were a bit wary of it beign sold out due to the Marathon-crowd. By now the weather was glorious, at 1PM, the three of us decided to crack open the first beer of the day/trip! The architectural tour is a must-do, it not only acts as an architecture tour but also provides the history of the city - highly recommended. And, the added bonus of enjoying an alcoholic beverage on or near water is quite possibly universal.

From there we were meeting one of Marianne's friends at Gene's Sausage Shop in the Lincoln Square neighbourhood. Gene's rocked my world, it has an awesome rooftop Beer garden with all the Bratwurst you can desire. This along with the 80+F (27C) weather couldn't be beat. After imbuing copious pitchers of the Weissbier and eating Bratwurst and a Rib Belly Sandwich we decided to head to the Chicago Brauhaus located a stones-throw from Gene's. Again, a few stein's of Hofbrau were put down while the band almost managed to transport us to Munich during Oktoberfest. It had started to get late in the evening so we decided to head back to our hotels to gear up for the Chicago nightlife. We headed out to the old town neighbourhood of Chicago and had a ball.

The next morning I was paying the price of starting my first beer at 1PM. By noon I dragged my butt out of the hotel and met up with the gang for lunch. We were headed to Chicago Pizza ando Oven Grinder Co. They were located in a historic location, on February 14, 1929 - The notorious “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” occurred just steps from the location of the restaurant.
In 1971, after  a fire burned the original house down Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co. was born. Their specialty is the Pizza Pot Pie. A pot pie, created with the ingredients of a pizza, but once the pie is brought table-side it is flipped out of its bowl. Now, you have a upside down pot pie on your plate. But, it works - it is successful in transforming a pizza into pot pie form.

Afterwards we walked toward the Lincoln Park Zoo (which is free!) and traversed our way towards the Michigan Lake shore. Being as it was another picture-perfect fall day, there were many beach bums and volleyball players. We strolled along the beach heading towards the looming skyscrapers of downtown. Fianlly heading back to our hotels as Odie and I were intent on heading to the top of the Hancock building (formerly Sears Tower) for some drinks.

We made it to the 96th floor of the Hancock building, where the city view, especially at sunset is unfathomable. After a bit of a wait (arrive with at least 30mins prior to sunset so that you can get seated in time for it), Odie and I settled into a nice spot - there isn't a bad seat in the house! After a few Martini's and re-telling of past travel adventures we met up with Marianne and were off to our reservations at the Girl & The Goat.

I'm not going to lie, Girl & The Goat is for the adventurous eater (you don't have to be an Andrew Zimmern, the food isn't that bizarre). The menu is split into three categories V, M, F ( Vegetables, Meat and Fish). Here's a list of some of what we ordered:
Roasted cauliflower with pickled peppers, pine nuts, mint
Goat chorizo flatbread with ajvar, peppers, green tomato, apricot, fresh ricotta
Wood oven roasted pig face with sunny side egg, tamarind, cilantro, potato stix
Braised beef tongue with masa, beef vinaigrette, salsa verde

I can't quite describe the eating experience at The Girl & The Goat in so many words - the best I think it could be described is as a food pilgrimage that everyone who goes to Chicago should embark upon. Content and just reliving every bite from every plate we headed back to our hotel and had one last drink for the night.

Rested, I met Marianne for my last day in Chicago. On our agenda was to head back to "The Bean", we were hoping it would be less crowded since it was a working day, albeit it was more crowded than it was during Saturday morning. We went for a walk on the Magnificent Mile, a row of designer shops. I came upon the Apple store which was inundated with post-it tributes to Steve Jobs. After strolling for a while we decided to head to the Art Institute of Chicago, which houses an insane amount of great art; works by the likes of Picasso, Dali, Tanguy, Pollock etc.. It's a veritable who's-who of the art world. You spend an entire day there but sadly we could only muster a couple hours.

Being as though we were getting peckish and my flight was fast approaching we decided to grab some food and our last mean in Chicago would be at a place called The Purple Pig. What a fitting place to finish-off what has been a riveting culinary exploration of Chicago.

Chicago really overwhelmed my taste buds, the people are really friendly and the city is probably one of the cleanest cities I've been to stateside. There are plenty of other great neighbourhoods to explore, restaurants to have your taste-bus wowed but, sadly on a 66-hour itinerary this is all I could fit in.

Chicago, go for the architecture stay for the food!

P.S. I know I didn't talk about my friends running the Marathon after it being the reason I went to Chicago - like I said it was an excuse to get me there :).

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Chicago in B&W !

The Real World: Split.

While both Dubrovnik and Split have international airports, you would be foolish to fly between the two. The Dalmatian coast with it's azure waters, the enchanting small towns dotted with terracotta roof tiles and the interesting border-crossing with Bosnia & Herzegovina make it probably one of the most scenic drives in the world.

We started off from Dubrovnik after breakfast and found a bus company to take us to Split. The journey takes approximately 5-6hours and costs around 120Kuna.

As I mentioned above, Dubrovnik is separated from the rest of Croatia by a sliver of land that is claimed by Bosnia. Crossing the Neum corridor was a breeze for us, Bosnian border patrol officers boarded our bus and we just had to show our passports. The 'Bosnian Riviera' runs for 23km before your back on Croatian soil.

We arrived in Split late afternoon and after finding our hostel we headed out to explore Diocletian's Palace.

It was a glorious evening in Split, pleasant temperature and a gorgeous sunset was in the making. Diocletian's Palace, is not so much a Palace - rather a city within the city of Split. There are plenty of shops, restaurants, bars and such within the walls of the Palace. By chance we came upon a Croatian wedding that was taking place at peristyle within the Palace. We climbed the clock tower in time to catch the serene Adriatic sunset over Split.

After a brief exploration of the Palace we decided to head back to the hostel.True to form there were some Aussies at the hostel and a girl who was at the same hostel as us in Dubrovnik was also there. This is where Real World: Split begins, albeit without the drama of the MTV show! After kicking it off with the folks at the hostel we decided to head out for dinner. There over a few liters of Karlovačka beer and some Croatian delicacies we hatched plans with some of them to head to the island of Brac in the morning.

We took one of the daily ferries to Brac the next morning with some of the girls from the hostel. The trip was 45minutes to Brac and provided sweeping views of Split and the Dalmatian coast. We docked at Supertar on the sleepy island of Brac and set about exploring. After hiking around the coast around Supertar's coast we found a beach to enjoy the azure waters of the Adriatic. Even though it was early October, the water was surprisingly pleasant.

We caught the ferry back to Split before sunset. After regrouping at the hostel, we headed out with our newly-made friends and explored the town of Split!

I have to say in all my travels the friends we made in Split we amongst some of the best. I keep in touch with most of them and to date and I've met 3 of them in different locales. It was just a great group of people that unlike The Real World, got along! For those of you who haven't been to the Dalmatian coast, I highly urge/encourage/will use all my persuasive skills to try convince you to visit.

Split, a city within a city, plenty of island hopping opportunities abound and a local feel to a beach town that is hard to find in many other top tourist traps!

In Croatia's Southern Dalmatian Coast, Dubrovnik charms you with it's small-town tranquility

                                         Lokrum in the distance
Even before we got here, I've heard raving reviews of Croatia's Dalmatian coast (which pretty much runs from Zadar in the northern most point to the southern border with Montenegro). The Dalmatian coast is hugged by the Adriatic and has a typical Mediterranean climate.

Our first stop in on the Dalmatian coast was the southern city of Dubrovnik. To get to Dubrovnik we headed west from Vienna, back to Munich by train then hopped on a flight from Munich to Dubrovnik. By the time we got into Dubrovnik it was later in the evening. The airport is closer to the town of Cavtat than Dubrovnik.

The bus ride from the airport to the city zig-zagged along the hillsides, while the full moon glimmered off the Adriatic. We were expecting Dubrovnik to be sleepy at this hour, but the bus stop was buzzing with activity - many people trying to offer a room for rent/hostel for the weary traveler. Having already booked our hostel we were pleasantly surprised as to how easy it was to find. Literally, steps from the bus station but removed enough to be well away from the hustle and bustle.

We had an apartment-esque type of a room in the hostel on the outskirts of the old town. The owner Marko showed us to our room and highlighted all the best spots on a map. Giving his personal recommendation for restaurants/bars and other attractions.

After settling-in we headed out to the old town for dinner. We sought out a restaurant Marko had suggested, one that specialized in seafood (Lokanda Peskarija). There, I had one of the best seafood meals I've had in Europe since Spain- grilled squid to start and a entree of squid risotto cooked in its own ink. Being October, the crowds had died down in Dubrovnik, after dinner we walked around looking for a bar to grab a drink - instead we decided for an early night (since both of us were still recovering after Vienna) in-lieu of our busy day ahead.

We were up and at it early the next morning. The sun was blisteringly hot even at 9AM, after grabbing a quick 'Dubrovnik' breakfast at a restaurant just outside the old town we were off on our exploration.

Dubrovnik has on of the most interesting old town's, in my opinion. Traversing the city wall allows you an almost a voyeur-esque peek into how the people in the city live. One piece of advice I'd give to anyone is to grab a good pair of sunnies - the white marble stone that line the streets of the old town make the sun's glare during the day almost blinding. While walking the around the city wall the terracotta roof tiles provide a tranquil contrast to the turquoise blue of the Adriatic sea.

After walking around the city wall for the better part of the morning and early afternoon, and fighting the geriatric crowds that had stopped-off for the day from their cruise ships, we headed over to the relatively uncrowded citadel close to our hostel. After whiling away some time there we were on a water taxi to the small island of Lokrum, which is 10 minutes away. Lokrum has an abandoned Benedictine monastery founded in 1023 and a small botanical garden. On the southern-end there is a small salt lake that is known as the 'dead sea'. There's plenty of flora and fauna too, with peacocks roaming freely near the monastery.
We went for a brief swim along the rocky coasts of Lokrum and decided to head back before dark.

We found the Buza (pronounced 'Buja') Bar, on the recommendation of Marko, right before sunset. And boy was it spectacular. When we first walked in, Bob Marley was coursing through it's outdoor speaker system, and I immediately wanted to high-five Marko. The beers were cold and the view was stunning..... have a look below.

After sunset, we headed back to the hostel and headed out for dinner with some Brits we had befriended at Buza Bar.

The following morning we were off to Split.

Dubrovnik, charming town that you could spend an eternity engorging in fresh seafood while being mesmerized by its tranquil vistas. I'll be back.

Wiener Schnitzel!

Having stayed at the Wombat's Hostel in Munich, we were happy to find out that there was another in Vienna. We got into Vienna in the late afternoon and after settling in at the hostel we headed out in search of dinner. On the train over to Vienna, which went much more smoothly than our Munich to Prague journey, Oli made his craving for some Wiener Schnitzel and Apfel Strudel clear. So we went to one of Vienna's finest Schnitzel purveyors that night - see below picture.

                 It's true what they say: A picture speaks a thousand words.

After consuming that perfectly executed beast we went to check out some sights by night. The streets were quiet that night - being a Sunday. We found a night market and the smells that were emanating from all the food stands made us almost eat again. All types of Bratwurst and other sumptuous pork parts were being cooked up.
The Rathaus (which serves as the seat both of the mayor and city council of the city of Vienna) perfectly framed the night market and its Gothic style was our first view of the grandeur of the Austro-Hungarian empire. The ring (Ringstrasse), intricately manicured gardens and the Pestsäule were some of the sights from our first night. We headed back to the hostel.
We found ourselves playing cards at the hostel bar and playing the "Identify the song" game that the bar had organized. The prize was a shot of the Austrian version of Jägermeister. Yours truly kept guessing the songs, but given my repulsion to liquorice or anything tasting like liquorice I was handing these off to Oli - which provided some great entertainment later. :)
The bar started off sleepy, with only a handful of others. However, the infamous Contiki tour bus had just pulled in with everyone's favorite travelers - Aussies! The bar was absolutely hoppin' after this! Oli and I put the cards away and we were chatting with several of them. There were also a group of younger Germans who were there as well. One member of this group had a insane resemblance to McLovin and we definitely shared a good laugh over that.
Everyone was having a great time and this same group of Germans approach us a little while later, one of the guys asks me, " Hey do you have any weed?" Before I could even respond Oli interjects with, "Wait, why did you ask him!?" Without missing a beat he responds, "Well he's black isn't he?" Oli was more appalled than I was at this point. This did shed some light into the random girl in Munich who came up to me and askd for cocaine. This was definitely a night to remember - I still retell this story on occasion.


The next day we headed out to the legendary Schönbrunn Palace, situated in the West of the city.. I would say it is only second to Versailles in terms of size and opulence. It is impeccably kept, the gardens are are so well maintained I didn't even see a rock out of place.

                               A courtyard of one of the 'smaller' buildings


Surprisingly Vienna turned out to be more diverse than I had expected, and it reflected on its cuisine too.
For lunch, we decided to have some Moroccan food.

Unfortunatley, being a Monday most of the museums were closed. We missed going to the Albertina and The Belvedere Palace. However, we did check out Hundertwasser Haus. Built by the Architect of the same name it is an apartment building that has now become an expressionist landmark.

                                                       Hundertwasser Haus

We grabbed some dinner then headed back to the hostel. Oli had a phone interview scheduled for that night. Our mate Dan, who we met in Prague also had arrived and was staying at the same hostel, we grabbed a quick drink with him. I called it an early night as we had a long day of travel scheduled; back to Munich then flight out to Dubrovnik.

Vienna: Prim and proper dashed with some old-world charm.
See you in Croatia.

On the banks of the Vltava river....a failed hair cut!!

We arrived in Prague later than anticipated, due to the added journey time. It was cooler (but still pleasant) than it had been in Oktoberfest - or maybe all those steins had managed to shield us from the brisk weather.

In reading our guides I was surprised at the sights that Prague had. None of them as famous as the other landmarks in Europe, but definitely able to hold their own. Prague castle, The Astronomical Clock, St Vitus Cathedral and Charles Bridge to name a few.

Before we get to the sights, we had to navigate our way to the hostel which was a short tram ride away from the hustle and bustle of the city center. First impression of the people of Prague was positive - a businessman seeing that we were confused as to which tram to take to our hostel - kindly assisted us, in English to beat!

We get to our hostel and both Oli and I are stunned. Absolutely stuuuuuned! Probably one of the best hostels I had been in. It could rank amongst a 3.5 star hotel! The name, admittedly was a bit cheesy : Czech Inn - should've taken some pics.

For dinner that night - we went to a Thai place! Yeah, in the middle of Eastern Europe and we wind up going to a Thai place. Go figure! But, it was pretty good, and we were loving the non-euro prices in Prague. This meal (with a bottle of wine) would've been easily 80euros, I think we paid something like 30euros equivalent. Koruna is the currency of The Czech republic; US$1 = ~17 Koruna.

The fabled Pilsner beer, has it's roots in the Czech republic - in fact we passed through Plzeň on our journey to Prague. That being said, beer is cheaper than bottled water in Prague ( and I'm guessing in the rest of country, too). In fact, when we were there I think beer was half the price of bottled water. 'Prague', does that translate to beer heaven..?? No complaints from the both us!

We headed back to the hostel after dinner and called it an early night - still reeling from our added journey time and the after effects of Oktoberfest.

In the morning we had a packed schedule for the day of sight-seeing, among them:
Prague castle, The Astronomical Clock, St Vitus Cathedral and Charles Bridge

                               View from Prague castle, Charles bridge on the bottom right.

                                          Charles bridge and Prague Castle.

I was really impressed with everything, the cleanliness was surprising. However, we did have an unpleasant experience at the Prague castle, where we encountered some rude service.

Also, travelers of colour -beware to be stared at - a lot! Everytime I got onto the tram, I just felt the gaze of the entire carriage.

The following day we went on a guided walking tour of Prague, which was great. The guide really knew his stuff. We got to learn some history about the Velvet Revolution and walked through Kafka's neighbourhood. Highly recommend! We also learned of a Pub Crawl that was to happen later that night. After having a couple days to recover from the epicness of Oktoberfest we decided to check it out. We were to meet in front of the Astronomical clock.

                                         Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square

Before it was time for the pub crawl I decided my head was in need of a fresh shaving. I had taken my clippers with me on the trip and conveniently the hostel bathroom had a power outlet I could use. I had finished half of my head when the clippers decided to give-out. So there I am.....with half a head shaved and half...well...not so much. Fortunately I had brought along a hat, and I met Oli down at the lobby and show him the new hairstyle I would be rockin' that night (hidden by the hat). EPIC FAIL!!! The clippers, although had what looked like the adapter was not compatible with the different voltage in Europe. Mark that under the should've-known-better column.

The crawl attracted a huge crowd and we ended up going to 5 or 6 pubs/clubs. We started the night of with some Absinthe shots and made friends with a Sydneysider, Dan.

At the pen-ultimate club, Daniel (who is of Malaysian descent) was coaxed into chatting up some Asian girls. After a few minutes he returns with a look of defeat. The story goes, that upon finding out the girls were from Kazakhstan, Dan couldn't help asking, "Oh do you guys like Borat?!" some-what enthusiastically. This question was met by stone-cold stares by the group of girls and an eventual walk of shame for Dan.

Prague, you were great (minus the awkward stares!) :)

Prost!!

Munich during Oktoberfest is a zoo! Albeit, in a good way in my opinion. Two weeks in late September and early October where many beer lovers gather in what many of them consider their mecca.

I met up with a mate of mine, Oli, at the Munich airport. He was arriving from London, as he had just finished his Master's only a few weeks before. We had landed in the morning, and had the rest of the day to explore. That day we decided not to head to the Theresienwiese ('Wiesen'), the large grounds where Oktoberfest is held. Instead we went to the hallowed Augustiner Bräu restaurant (the oldest independently owned brewery in Munich). There, we had the still in-season Augustiner WeissBier - one sip of that golden nectar cured any sign of jet-lag I may have been suffering (or so I'd like to believe). Along with our beer we indulged in some Pork knuckle. Ah the Pork-knuckle..... I think I may have eaten Pork knuckle 3 times during our 3 day stay! It's roasted until golden and crispy and braised in beer! What's not to love!?!?

                                          One of many Pork knuckle dinners


The following day we headed early to the Wiesen. We got there around 10:30, still trying to recover from the previous night at the hostel where we had a few more litres of beer than we had planned. We moseyed over to the HofBräuhaus 'tent' eager to get ourselves a spot at the infamous HofBräuhaus and try a HofBräu Oktoberfest beer. Oli was struggling and needed a gigantic pretzel to kick the effects of the previous night. The crowd started to get boisterous towards 2pm. By this time the band was in full swing, regularly blasting:
"Ein Prosicht", "Alice", "Seven Nation Army" by White Stripes and our favorite - Fliegerlied (So ein schöner tag). Before long, the alcohol had reduced inhibitions and people were making friends all around us. 

                                          HofBräu Festzelt

                                          Inside look


Out of the blue a girl approached myself and Oli, she started to talk to me with the usual banter, in hindsight I realized her speech was a bit slurred. I didn't think too much of it at the time, after all this was the largest drinking festival in the world!!! When I found out that she was from London, I was like "Oh my friend (pointing to Oli) is from London. She didn't even bother to look toward him. Within a matter of seconds after she asks, "Can I ask you an inappropriate question?". Hesitantly, " Ummm... sure. What's up?". "Do you have any cocaine?". To which, I was dumbfounded, I recall saying something to the affect "I'm sorry, but you're barking up the wrong tree". Before I knew it she had left as soon as she had come over. I was gobsmacked, and all Oli and I could do was laugh and have another litre of HofBräuhaus' finest. We ended up finishing 6 Stein's (litres) that night and were able to amble our way back to the hostel without too much incident.

The following day we ended up spending the most time at the HofBräuhaus tent again. Mostly because it was the biggest and it had an international feel to it. We did go by the Späten tent and the Hippodrome, which were both good too. We were able to meet up with some of Oli's friends from grad school, and some of my friends from California, who unplanned, had turned up at Munich. Thank god for Oli, if it wasn't for him I probably wouldn't have made it back to the hostel that second night! Yeah, it was that epic!! 7 Steins is not a joke people!!!

We woke up the next morning feeling the worst we had felt throughout the past 3 days. We were on our way to Prague. Having booked a direct train we were looking forward to catching up on sleep/beating our hangovers!

I was in and out of sleep, Oli was reading a book - all of a sudden during a stop near the border I realized that everyone in our carriage had got off. I thought this was rather peculiar and even said so to Oli. Neither of us took it too seriously as we thought this may be a popular stop. The train started to move, yet, I was still unsettled. Moments pass by, and I see an Engineer (he had an orange vest on) come through to our carriage. I think we looked at each other and simultaneously uttered some cuss words, his were in German. Suffice to say we were no longer on our way to Prague, rather the depot at that station. The train had split up and we were lucky enough to be in the two carriages that were being sent to the depot. In the end, what was a direct train turned out to be a 5 connection passage to Prague - in some cases we only had 2 minutes between trains! In the end this added a good 3 hours to our journey time as well. Hangover gone!

No sleep, but definitely a good story.

Munich is probably one of my favorite cities in Europe - in spite of getting asked for cocaine at the Wiesen. Definitely plan on going back! Pork knuckle and Weissbier; until we meet again!

More to come hope you guys enjoyed the first installment. Bear with me as I perfect this Blogging thing.
Also keep in mind this blog will skip around my travels as I have stories from years ago that will be shared at random times.

Cheers or Prost, until my next post!