Little India...or Brick Lane

Everyone always talks about how good the Indian food in London is, so I have been excited to try it out since I got here 4 days ago. I came really close yesterday when a few other London Business School students and I decided to get Indian for lunch at a place near Bond Street called Rasa. Unfortunately, I had plans to meet Kathryn (my close friend from high school has been living in Sweden for the past four years) for lunch, so I had to leave before any of the food came. I got lucky tonight though, when a friend from USC and his girlfriend who is a current student at LBS, Courtney, wanted to grab dinner with me. Courtney started out our conversation about where to eat by informing me that she eats vegetarian on Tuesdays. PERFECT! Though Marc and I didn't stick to her vegetarian ways, Indian was a great option to please the whole group.

They have been living in London for over a year, so knew exactly where to take me. We met at the tube station at Liverpool Street and headed to Brick Lane to take our pick of the "greatest Indian food in all of London." I only put the quotes there because every restaurant swore they were the greatest. We were immediately greeted by an Indian man once we had only stepped 1 foot onto Brick Lane promising us that his restaurant was the best - and to make it better he would give us 30% the entire meal. We considered the offer for a moment when he jumped the offer up to a free round of drinks. Marc hesitated still and it went up to 2 rounds of drinks, free popodam, and 30% off. Since Marc and Courtney had done this before, I followed their lead in turning down the offer to move on down the street to see who else would try to haggle with us over the price of our dinner.

Brick Lane

We settled on the third restaurant solicitor who stood in front of a restaurant that proudly proclaimed it was the BEST INDIAN ON BRICK LANE. We enjoyed a 25% discount and two free rounds of drinks for a LOT of delicious Indian food for the low price of just 13 pounds each! If this is what eating Indian is going to be like in London, I think I am going to like it here!

Torres del Paine, Patagonia

I couldn't move to the other side of the world without visiting Patagonia, so as my last hurrah in South America, I decided to bare the harsh early winter conditions and make the trip down south for 9 days in Chilean and Argentinian Patagonia. I would have come sooner if not for knee surgery on my torn ACL 7 months ago, but since recovery takes time, here I am in May, the coldest time of year where you can still visit the park without completely freezing to death. My friend Jordan and I expected low-season conditions in the Torres del Paine National Park and nearby town of Puerto Natales - meaning we really expected very little to be open and no chance of hiking the famous "W" trek. We were fortunate that one of the Refugios in the park was open and we were actually able to spend three full days in the park hiking around craggy, snow-capped peaks, viewing blue glaciers and weathering strong winds. We stayed two nights at Refugio Paine Grande, making the lodge our base-camp within the park.



Milodon Cave

On our first day, we hopped on a tour bus that stopped periodically to gaze at the majestic views of the "Torres" (or Towers in English), the "Cuernos" (the Horns), and Grande Paine. One stop included a massive cave where the remains of a 10,000 year old Milodon (prehistoric relative to the elephant standing 12 meters high) was found by archaeologists. Our hostel had booked the tour for us, suggesting it was a good way to get into the park during low-season as the regular buses weren't running. We expected to arrive at the Ranger's Station to begin the 18 km to the Refugio by 1 PM, allowing us enough time to hike in before nightfall. Like all things in Chile, our driver took his sweet time throughout the day and we didn't arrive until about 2:15. Once at the CONAF station, the park ranger told us we couldn't begin our hike because we wouldn't make it before dark. Two other ladies from Mozambique had been arguing for the past hour with the ranger to allow them to go to no avail. I credit Jordan's manliness and apparent hiking knowledge as the convincing argument for the ranger caving in and allowing the four of us to venture out with promises of staying together and using our headlamps. I, however, had lied to the Ranger, as I did not actually have a headlamp. So, off we went at about 2:45 for a 5 hour hike across 18 km of Patagonia terrain. By 6 PM, the overcast sky was completely dark - not a star nor the moon in sight. I guess the ranger knew what he was talking about. Jordan lent me his headlamp and we trucked onward following the blind leader who claimed that he had great night vision due to all the carrots he eats. It must be true, because around 7:30, we arrived to the Refugio, surprising the man working the registration desk. Success!



View of Torres del Paine before entering the park

Jordan and I had planned to hike into the French Valley on Day 2, but strong winds and a brewing storm led us to change our plans for a hike up to Glacier Grey where we would get a better chance to view the glacier and complete the circuit. Unfortunately, the winds were equally strong on this route and we had to turn back about 7 km into the hike, but not before we made it to the Glacier Grey lookout point. The blue ice went on for days. While taking photos at the lookout, my hat blew off my head, lost forever, just before the strongest wind I've ever felt nearly knocked both of us over. After dropping to our knees for a few moments while the furious wind pounded against our packs, Jordan and I decided that we'd seen what we'd come for and it was best to turn back. Only half an hour after returning to the Refugio, a powerful rainstorm came in that didn't cease until midday the following day. We spent the afternoon enjoying Austral beer with a group of Chinese hikers who we befriended sitting by the fire.



Los Cuernos (so named because the peaks look like horns)

On Day 3, it was time to make our way back to the CONAF Station to meet our transport back out of the park. The rain hadn't stopped, but we had no choice but to put the raincoat cover over our backpacks, test out our waterproof gear and pray to the gods of Goretex. About two hours into the hike, the rain stopped only to trick us into thinking it was done for the day. Foolishly, we removed the rain covers on our packs only to replace them half an hour later. The highlight of any rainstorm is the rainbow at the end which in our case ended at the CONAF Station. I guess it is true about what they say about the pot of god at the end of the rainbow! We were able to see the entire arch of the rainbow and a double-rainbow on one side, which was really incredible.


View of Glacier Grey in the background right before my hat flew off my head

At 3 PM, we spotted our transport driving on the road near the trail (an hour earlier than scheduled....this guy wasn't great with timing). He picked us up so we could join the tail end of the tour he was giving up to Lago Grey where we saw some blue floating icebergs before running back to the van to stay out of the rain.


Hiking toward the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow on the way out of the park after hiking 50 km in 3 days

I suppose I understand with the rain and the cold why most hikers come in the summer months of January and February but I really enjoyed the serenity of being virtually alone in the park. We only saw about 15 other hikers the entire 3 days in Torres del Paine. With the right gear (which we fortunately had), the weather is manageable. The views were amazing. I have a feeling I will be back!




Bye bye Deloitte!

After 5 long (and let me tell you, some were longer than others) years at Deloitte, I said farewell today. The departure was bittersweet as with it brings amazing opportunities ahead but also means I am leaving behind numerous mentors, friends and esteemed colleagues. It was a great run. On to the next adventure!!

Paragliding

Check one more thing off the bucket list! Paragliding is awesome!! Iquique, apparently, has the best paragliding in South America. Reason why? Because you jump off the most enormous sand dune/mountain I've ever seen and soar over the entire city until landing peacefully on the beach.

The cliff we jumped off

My tandem buddy, Patricio, told me that we shouldn't be nervous as he likes to go paragliding when he is stressed out to relax. I quickly understood why after overcoming the initial nervousness of LITERALLY RUNNING OFF THE SIDE OF A CLIFF. Once I was sitting in what seems like a swing floating above the city, I was completely relaxed. All the nerves I've been feeling lately about quitting my job, moving to the UK, and going back to school flew out of my head as quickly as the vomit that came out of Jackie midair. Poor thing started getting a little nauseous half way through the flight and gave her tandem partner a little spray of fun in his face. Luckily, Erica and I avoided the motion sickness and landed on the beach stoked on life ready for the next time we have the chance to "parapente" again. SO FUN!!

Colonial Baquedano Street

After we went paragliding, we enjoyed a great seafood lunch at El Wagón. I really am going to miss Chilean fish when I leave this place. We then strolled around the colonial looking Baquedano street before heading to the airport.

Once I have figured out how to make stills out of the video footage from the day, I will post pics. Check back soon!

Iquique

Another weekend, another trip. Erica, Jackie and I headed north to El Norte Grande this weekend to explore the desert near the Bolivian border of Chile. We have a beautiful ocean view from our hotel room in Iquique. What a nice escape from Santiago!

This morning at 5:30 AM, our tour guide Mauricio picked us up to start our tour of the desert in the north of Chile. We had a jam packed full day of sight-seeing natural phenomena, indigenous villages and beautiful landscapes. Our first stop was the Geysers of Puchuldiza, a geothermic field that is active for most of the day. There were between 20 and 30 small geysers and two notable tall, powerful ones that shot to at least 50 feet in the air. The ground was covered in ice surrounding the geysers that were 175°F due to the extreme temperatures at night. The geothermic field was at 4,300 meters, or 14,100 ft. above sea level. You could really feel the altitude!

After the Geysers of Puchuldiza, we continued on to an old Aymara settlement called Mauque that has turned into a ghost town save one remaining family. The church in town still stands and is used annually for indigenous ceremonies.

After Mauque, we traveled on to the Laguna Aravilla where three types of flamingos can be found. Although flamingos are generally thought of as birds that live near the sea, our guide informed us that they are found in this region due to the high concentration of salt in the earth. There was a salt flat near the lake which makes the water salt water in which the brine shrimp that flamingos feed upon live.

Our tour then carried us on to the Termas de Enquelga where we had the opportunity to relax in the hot springs surrounded by grazing llamas and ñandus. I have never seen to many llamas in my life! It reminded me of driving through Texas and seeing fields full of cows, except instead of cows, they were llamas.

After the hot springs, we visited two more traditional Aymara villages - Isluga and Colchane. At this point, they all started to look the same to me. Dusty square buildings, plaze in the center, church with a tower, you get my drift. Our last stop of the day was the Gigante de Atacama, the largest anthropomorphic geoglyph in the world. It looked like aliens came down some time 1000 years ago and drew ET on the mountain. The carving in the hillside dates back to some time between 900 and 1450, however little is known about its true history.

Mendoza

With only a few weeks left to check things off my South America bucket list, I have been busy planning and going on trips lately. Last weekend, I crossed off a really great trip from my list of places to visit before leaving the continent - Mendoza, Argentina.

O. Fournier Winery in the Uco Valley

Four girlfriends and I flew over the Andes on a short 45-minute flight to the lovely Argentine land of Malbec for the weekend. Saturday morning started with a drive through the miles and miles of vineyards to O. Fournier winery (http://www.ofournier.com/web/) in the La Consulta region of the Uco Valley. We toured the impressive estate and winery which has been designed to work with gravity to minimize the use of pumps. After touring the winery came the fun part - tasting! We tasted four of the vineyards top wines, including a great Malbec that made it home in my suitcase.

The view from lunch at Tupungato Divino

After our tour, we moved on to a small restaurant between several vineyards called Tupungato Divino. The restaurant and wine bodega is nestled at the base of the Andes among the vineyards of the Uco Valley. We all enjoyed a fabulous five-course meal of pumpkin ravioli and Argentina beef paired with amazing wine. Once we had finished eating, the owner of the place invited us to the area where he makes his own wine and offered us the chance to crush the grapes ourselves. I felt like Lucille Ball (minus the barefoot thing).

Making wine at Tupungato Divino

Once we got back to Mendoza, we continued the wine-drinking at a cute wine bar called The Vines of Mendoza. I tried the flight of whites, since I had been drinking mostly red all day and fell in love with the Pulenta Estate Pinot Gris. I highly recommend it if you ever come across it! Sadly, Argentine wines are hard to find in most of the world, because a very limited production is sold for export purposes. Sounds like the Argentines want to keep all the good stuff to themselves!

Flight of Whites at Vines of Mendoza

We enjoyed dinner at Francis Mallman 1884 (http://1884restaurante.com.ar/) which was so fantastic I bought the cookbook on my way out! I will be "Grilling the Argentine Way" all summer long in Houston. Since we had eaten such a large lunch, we ordered several salads and starters to share tapas-style. The warm camembert salad was to die for!

Sitting in the wine cellar at Azafran for Sunday lunch

Sunday morning, after a great night's sleep with full bellies drowzy on wine, we headed to the Park Hyatt Hotel for spa day. I had a heavenly 90 minute massage for just $50. Can't beat the prices in Argentina, despite the rising inflation. After a hot steam, some quiet reading in the lounge area, and a fancy shower, we headed to lunch at Azafran for our last indulgence before the perfect weekend came to an end.

Mendoza wine country

Gliding above Santiago

My birthday was last Monday, and in order to bring in 27 properly, Eric really outdid himself. Although I thoroughly enjoyed our weekend in Buenos Aires last year over my birthday weekend, we opted to stay local this year and spend the weekend in Santiago. What an amazing decision! After spending two weeks working in Viña del Mar, I returned home on Friday night to celebrate a belated Valentine´s Day dinner at Ky Restobar. The thai food was great, for Chilean thai food.

Our plans for the next day were a mystery to me. Eric came by around 1 PM and told me to pack a bag with good walking shoes, a bathing suit and towel, plenty of sunscreen, and a jacket in case I got cold. Since it is about 85°F in Santiago right now, I was a bit confused how I could possibly get cold anywhere, but I obeyed his orders excited for what was to come. Minutes later we were in a taxi on our way to an undisclosed location. Upon arrival, my greatest hopes came true. I have been seeing gliders soaring above Santiago for the past year wishing that I could be in the backseat of such a plane. My off-hand comments about my desire to go gliding did not go unnoticed! Eric planned a funfilled day of soaring above Santiago.


Ready to glide!

While waiting for the pilot to arrive, we toured the small airport and took pictures with a few of the planes. An instructor gave us a brief lesson on what the different dials meant, strapped me into the backseat of the plane, and we were off! A tow plane dragged the two-person glider up into the air, and within minutes we were free - sailing through the sky 1.5 km above Santiago. The air was surprisingly clear for Santiago, and the view of the city was incredible. I hadn't realized how big the sprawling city of Santiago was until I was looking at it from above. The pilot passed the controls to me a few times to let me fly the plane. What a rush! After about 45 minutes in the air, it was time to come down and let Eric take his turn at flying with the birds.

Santiago from the sky

Happy birthday to me!!


Ready to be towed into the air

Zapallar

What a weekend! Saturday morning, I woke up around 10 with no plans for the entire weekend. Looking forward to the freedom of doing whatever I want, I got on the phone to see what my friends were up to. Todd was heading to Zapallar, a beach 2 hours from Santiago, 45 minutes later, so I thought – why not?! In no time, I was on my way to the beach with three friends with plans to stay just for the day. Plans were the one thing I was avoiding this weekend though, so of course that had to change!

View from Chiringuito, Zapallar, Chile

We stopped for lunch at a great place on the coast called Chiringuito to enjoy some of the local seafood. The view from the deck of the restaurant reminded me of a photograph of the Amalfi Coast. We ended up staying the night in Zapallar at this amazing old mansion overlooking the water that is owned by a famous Chilean polo player. He hosted a big party sponsored by Johnny Walker that had passed appetizers and an open bar. Sunday morning, the owner of the house invited us to his polo match at the Cachagua Polo Grounds – where they had another open bar!

Polo Match

 I laid off the champagne this time though, because Carol, Neelie and I were going to keep the spontaneity going by scuba diving after the game. Diving in Chile was a box on my bucket list that I needed to check off. Check it off I did! The visibility wasn’t great and the water was coooooooooooold! I am glad I got to do it, especially at the low price of $80, but I don’t need to go back into 12°C water again to look at the fishies that I enjoy eating so much in Chile. We saw some really cool starfish and rock shrimp. The dive master reached out and let one of them creep up onto my fingers.  What started out as a lazy weekend with nothing planned turned into quite the adventure!