TravelStream™ news feed for member dcsalsera on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/dcsalsera en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sun, 11 Jan 2009 06:25:28 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/12/1231612200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/12/1231612200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/12/1231612200/tpod.html Sun, 11 Jan 2009 06:25:28 -0500 Santiago and beyond - adventures south of the equator

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Puerto Varas, Chile

DC to Santiago I took a whirlwind trip back to the U.S. for Christmas and picked up Peter to make our way back to Santiago.  A couple of essential items I was missing that I had to bring back with me included: Honey  Nut Cheerios, granola bars, Newman's Own dressing and soft toilet paper.  It was great to have Pete here and show him the "Chilean way of life" which basically is just a whole lot more relaxed than the DC scene.  After a little snooze, we went for a late lunch at the fish market, Mercado Central.  The next day we walked up the mountain to Cerro San Cristobal to say hi to the immaculate virgen and took the funicular down to the Bellavista neighborhood for a little shopping and lunch.  We tried to beat the late afternoon heat with a dip in the pool and packed our bags for the early flight the next day.  Lake district here we come!  Puerto Varas We flew into Puerto Montt but we heard there was more to do in Puerto Varas, a nearby city.  We were going to take a bus, but there was one rental car available in the airport and the guy said he's give us a good discount if we paid cash.  As to be expected, that last car was manual which I don't know how to drive, so Pete drove us through Chile.  The car was so small that our two suitcases wouldn't fit in the trunk so we had to put the back seats down to make it fit. We made it to Puerto Varas in about 1/2 and hour.  It is a cute lakeside resort town with views of the Osorno and Puntiaguado volcanos.  The lake district is cooler than Santiago since it is the start of the Patagonian region and about 2 1/2 hours south.  However, the sun is extremely strong there due to the depletion of the ozone layer over Antartica, so sunblock was essential!  Also, the sun was out late and it was light out until 10PM or so every night. We had a quick lunch and went to the tourist office where we set up a trip to go zip lining at a place called "Las Cascadas" around the lake, closer to the Osorno volcano.  The girl at the tourist office told Pete the roads were "a little rough" to get there.  A little rough was an understatement for our little car and a couple of times the battery actually popped out and we had to stop to put it back in.  However, we made it in one piece only to be attacked by the tobanos as soon as we got out of the car.  Tobanos are the horseflies that live lakeside and disappear in February.  We suited up and took a tractor up to the trees for our zip lining.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves :)  Salmon is also farmed in this region, so we stopped for a fresh salmon snack on the way back to the hotel.  Villarrica and Pucon The next day we were on the road again to go to Villarrica for two nights.  My travel books had said to stay in Villarrica or Pucon, but when we arrived we realized our hotel was pretty much in the middle of no where.  However, it grew on us..Hans, the German owner was hilarious and you know I fell in love with the four dogs that lived there.  Our little cabana had a fire place which was nice when it got cooler at night since.  Traffic signs are a bit different in Chile, so we were actually pulled over twice but Pete talked his way out of a ticket.  We took a trip to Pucon which was an adorable town across the lake (also near an active volcano). On New Years Eve day we decided to enter 2009 nice and relaxed so we went to one of the hot springs near the active volcano to relax and get massages.  It turned out to be a great massage.  The hot springs were relaxing, but a little bit warm for such a hot day.  We had to head back for our big New Years celebration in our hotel.  New Years Eve was hilarious.  We were certainly the only Americans at the hotel and definitely the youngest, except for a few teenagers who came with their parents.  It was a mixture of Germans and Chileans who were lots of fun.  The waiters average age was about 70, so service was slow and we actually didn't get any noisemakers or champagne until about 12:10.  January 1st is also our year anniversary, so I couldn't think of a more entertaining way to celebrate. There was a live band so Pete and I did a whole lot of dancing.  I made him dance with a lady that I thought really wanted to dance and she nearly said no.  haha.  Back to Puerto Varas After some lunch planning, we made the decision to head back to Puerto Varas for the rest of the trip.  We figured there were a lot of good restaurants and adventure activities that we could take advantage of.  We stopped by Valdivia so Pete could visit Ceveceria Kuntsmann and ended up back in Puerto Varas that evening.  The next day we went Whitewater rafting in river Petrohue.  Our tour guides were a blast, and there was a cute Uruguayan family and two other Americans in the bus.  I made the mistake of wearing a black shirt and was completely attacked by the horseflies when I exited the bus.  I found out quickly that those suckers bite!!  The Uruguayan father pulled out his thermos and mate within a minute of exiting the bus.  (more about Mate in a minute)  Whitewater rafting was very fun and scenic, but not exactly the wild rapids that I dealt with on the level 5 rapids in Alaska.  However, the pictures should also speak for themselves.  When we finished the rafting, our tour guides set up a little picnic inside one of the dressing rooms (We had to hide from the horseflies - that's how bad they were)  That's when we started passing the mate.  Mate is an infusion prepared by steeping dried leaves of yerba mata in hot water.  It is the national drink of Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay and believe me they were serious about their Mate!  Of course, the Uruguayans promised me that their mate was better than that of Argentina or Paraguay.  It is a social practice where everyone drinks out of the same cup.  (yes mom - germs!!)  It is commonly passed around in social circles and you have hot water in a thermos to refill after each person finishes their portion.  If you say "gracias" it means that you don't want any more.  (I learn by making mistakes) so if you want to keep getting the tea passed to you, say nothing when you pass it along.  Best steak ever That night we went to a restaurant along the lake called Puro Toro.  For those who know me, you know I rarely eat red meat and when I do I rarely like it too much.  This place was known for its steaks prepared on an open grill (parillada) so I decided to give it a try.  Pete and I both got steaks and believe it or not I ate every single bite!  Paired with our Malbec wine, it was simply divine.  We paid about $50 for steaks, side dishes and a good bottle of red wine.  I love Chile!! Back to the City The time came for us to head back to the big city.  The night before I was telling Pete how I should come up with a new travel tag line for Chile so that tourists would understand that nothing ever goes exactly according to plan and they have to go with the flow.  I think I came up with something like, "Chile:  You Never Know what you're going to get."  When we got to the airport I found out what the real travel tag line was "Chile.  All ways Surprising."  I wasn't too far off, huh?  :) Vina del Mar y Valparaiso The next day (Sunday) we took the bus to Vina del Mar.  (Once again, I went to the wrong bus station)  Vina wasn't too thrilling but he had a good Mexican lunch and then jumped on a local bus to go to the port city of Valparaiso.  There are about 7 funiculars that go up to the top of the mountain- so we took one up and did a little of shopping...and of course took pictures!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/12/1229257980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/12/1229257980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/12/1229257980/tpod.html Sun, 11 Jan 2009 05:55:15 -0500 Santiago and beyond - adventures south of the equator

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La Serena, Chile

Starting with a Geography Lesson I figured since my blogs are about to get more into the details of my travels within Chile, I'd start with a little geography lesson for those who might not know much about the different regions of Chile.  (I didn't know until I got here!)  Chile is over 3,000 miles long and never more than 221 miles wide.  The Pan American Highway runs down the spine of the country and connects every imaginable climatic zone.  In the far north, "El Norte Grande" is the Atacama desert, one of the driest places on earth. In certain places rain has never been recorded.  Once you get out of the desert region you get to "El Norte Chico" which is the agricultural heartland of Chile and where I went for this blog entry. The middle of the country is Santiago and wine country which of course is where I spend the majority of my time :)  Further South is the Lake District which I will write about in my next blog entry as I'm going there when Pete comes to visit.  The Lake District has (obviously) many lakes, an active volcano belt (currently 55 active volcanoes) and a large German influence.  The far south is where I will be going in late January to Punta Arenas, the southernmost city of its size in the world and the gateway to the Chilean Antarctic.  A bit further south is Tierra del Fuego the "land of fire" at the tip of South America that Chile shares with Argentina and beyond that lies Antarctica.  So now that you understand the geographic wonderland of where I'm living, here's my blog about my trip to "el Norte Chico".    La Serena On Saturday morning Paulina, Roberto and I took off to head North towards La Serena, a beach town about 4 hours north of Santiago or as the guide books like to put it the "little north" of Chile.  The ride was a straight shot on the Pan American Highway with beautiful mountain views.   Around 3PM we made it to La Serena and stopped for lunch since they have incredible seafood there.   The food was absolutely delicious!  We ordered an appetizer called machas parmesanas which are razor clams covered in Parmesan cheese.  Yum! Pisco Valley After lunch we started heading towards the Andes and drove through the valleys.  It was absolutely gorgeous.   This is the know as the Pisco region of Chile - where they grow the grapes that make Pisco alcohol.  They serve this at all restaurants here in Chile as an aperitif - Be careful it is VERY strong!  We went on a little tour of the distillery and I sampled a pisco mango sour at the end of the tour.  Valle de Elqui We continued to go through the valleys and entered into small, adorable towns to try to find a place to stay for the night.  The small village of Vicuna is the birthplace of Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral.  We ended up at Hotel El Galpon which is a hotel I highly recommend.  The staff is great and it couldn't be a more relaxing atmosphere.  Paulina and I took out our laptops to work on the international expansion plan and the hotel manager treated us to a pisco sour. We had a light dinner and headed to bed.  The German owner had a cute (very fat) beagle that became my friend and I let him into my hotel room when no one was looking.  Breakfast here was wonderful - everything was homemade to include the bread and marmalade and the juice was freshly squeezed.  These pictures show the amazing view from the breakfast table.  Boutique Vineyard The next day we were off to go see Chileangourmet's dulce de leche producers in the Coquimbo valley.  Little did I know that we would be driving through the Andes on a dirt road, but before we did that we stopped at a boutique winery that we saw as we were leaving Valle del Elqui.  We walked into the dark wine cellar which was a completely new experience.  We were surrounded by oak barrels of aging wine and opera music was playing loudly.  The daughter of the owner came in to greet us and told us that her father gave up his career as a psychiatrist to make wine and believed that opera music helped the wine age better.  Their winemaking process is certified organic and their vineyard is one of the highest altitude vineyards in the world.  They have only been in the wine business for less than 10 years, and their wines have already begun to win awards.  Of course, we all bought a few bottles to take home :) Bumpy Ride The next four hours was an adventure I'll never forget.  We were on a regular road for about an hour and then the dirt "road" started.  Luckily, Roberto was driving an SUV.  Since we didn't see any other cars as we were driving for the next three hours, I would have to say that we took the "road less traveled" to go meet the dulce de leche producers in the valleys of the Rio Hurtado. This region is known to be one of the clearest locations in the world and therefore is home to a number of important astronomical observatories...all of which we passed in our journey.   The Andes provide a barrier to moisture, driven by the prevailing east winds, and three major facilities are located in the coastal foothills:  Cerros Tolol Inter-American Observatory (USA), European Southern Observatory, and Las Campanas Observatory, run by the Carnegie Institution.  One of the observatories is shown in this picture, but I'm not sure which one it is. Just when I thought the bumpy ride might cause my breakfast to come up, we made it to the goat farm.  Roberto knew about my affinity for dogs so he warned me in advance that the dog on the farm was only there to ward off goat predators and to keep my distance.  As soon as I saw the dog, I understood what he meant.  Surrounded by goats, we chatted with the goat caretakers and Paulina and Roberto caught up on the farming gossip while I tried to find some shade (the sun was brutal there!).  Then we went to the building where the woman actually make the dulce de leche.  Before Chileangourmet, they had been using an old method which required them to stir the substance for five hours straight without changing directions or switching arms in order to keep the temperature even enough for the substance to turn into dulce de leche.  Paulina and Roberto worked with the producers and the Chilean government to fund the new machine posted here which no longer requires the women to stir continuously.  (The power of technology!)  By that time it was about 3 and for all those who know me I start to lose all energy when I haven't eaten for awhile. The "town" was so small there are no restaurants so we were invited to the home of one of the producers for lunch.  Unfortunately, they were working on the road so we had to wait for about 30 minutes for them to let us go through.  By the time we got to the woman's house at 4:30 I thought I was going to keel over from hunger.  I have never appreciated a hot dog and rice meal so much in my life!  After lunch we got on our merry way and drove back the five hours to Santiago. 
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/12/1229256180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/12/1229256180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/12/1229256180/tpod.html Mon, 15 Dec 2008 07:24:51 -0500 Santiago and beyond - adventures south of the equator

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Buenos Aires, Capital Federal District, Argentina

&nbsp; Grumpy Old Women I left Santiago on Thursday evening for my flight to Buenos Aires.&nbsp; Pearl had decided to take the bus so she was already going to be there.&nbsp; We wanted to go in December while it's still free - in January they institute a $131 reciprocity charge since that's what we charge Argentians to get a visa to come to the U.S. The flight itself was pretty uneventful but the bus I took to the hostel was an experience in itself.&nbsp; It was much cheaper than a taxi, but talk about slow!&nbsp; It took me about 2 hours to get to the hostel.&nbsp; As I was getting out of customs, I noticed this old woman who was yelling at practically everyone in her way.&nbsp; She, of course, ended up at my bus stop so she preceded to complain to me about how slow the buses were and how no one was helpful.&nbsp; I was tempted to tell her that she would get better service if she paid more and took a taxi, but I bit my tongue.&nbsp; She yelled at the bus driver about every 5 minutes to tell him to hurry up and screamed at a girl who was sitting next to me on the bus because she had answered her phone.&nbsp; Finally, around 12AM I arrived at the hostel and was so exhausted I just fell asleep.&nbsp; Relivin the hostel days Now, I haven't stayed in a hostel since my college years and I have to say I pretty much felt like I was taken back to those years of no mortgages, no job and no worries...oh, did I mention no privacy?&nbsp; The first two nights I stayed in a tiny single room but the last two I had to stay in a dorm with 5 other people.&nbsp; It was actually very fun - every night people gathered on the roof to hang out and it was an eclectic mix of young people from all over the world. I learned a lot about the economy in Finland and pop culture in Brazil.&nbsp; Me encanta BUENOS AIRES Here are the highlights: - &nbsp; <i>Love me some Boca:&nbsp; I LOVED the Boca District where people were dancing tango on the streets and the area itself was just adorable - &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <i>Walking Tour: We took a free walking tour - our tour guide was Gaston.&nbsp; It was incredibly informative and a great way to spend your first few hours in BA. &nbsp; -&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <i>Tango lesson: I think tango is an AMAZING dance and went to take a class at a Milonga - an old, typical dancing parlor.&nbsp; It was fantastic and I learned a lot.&nbsp; In the middle of the afternoon, a ton of old folks dressed to the nines showed up to dance.&nbsp; The average age was probably 70...I loved watching them and hope that I'm like that when I'm that age :) &nbsp; -&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<i> <i>Tango festival: The weekend we were there they just happened to be celebrating national tango day...so they closed down the main street and had live music and dancing.&nbsp; Unfortunatley, the guy I danced with didn't quite follow the 8 moves I learned, so as you can tell from the pictures he probably wasn't thrilled to be dancing with me.&nbsp; Haha - <i>Cafe Tortoni : Now, some people say this place is over rated, but after more credit card drama I decided to take my book there and have a cup of coffee.&nbsp; Inside the cafe is amazing it kind of takes you back in time to what it must have been like 50 years ago.&nbsp; Yes, there are a lot of tourists - you have to use your imagination! -&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <i>Futbol semifinals - We didn't actually go to the game (it was a long, all day event on a super hot day), but Pearl and I went to a soccer bar (I think it was even called "I Love Futbol") and watched the game.&nbsp; It was actually quite uneventful because it ended 0-0.&nbsp; Sorry all you soccer fans, I just don't think it's for me.&nbsp; After the game Pearl and I met a nice Colombian who was advertising free hugs....so of course we hugged him.&nbsp; There's not much that you can get for free in this world anymore!&nbsp; :)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/12/1228008240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/12/1228008240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/12/1228008240/tpod.html Sun, 30 Nov 2008 17:01:08 -0500 Santiago and beyond - adventures south of the equator

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Santiago, Chile

A couple of fun facts for the week: * I think I am averaging about 1 avocado a day * I think I love not having a blackberry * I have started to make friends with a dog that lives outside my office.&nbsp; I'm still staying about 4 feet away but I think he loves me.&nbsp; * Chilean terms:&nbsp; cachayi = get it? sipo = yes, of course palta = avocado pololo(a) = boyfriend/girlfriend carrete = party que lata = what a shame sepa moya = who knows! tuto = sleepiness Rich people Bazaar This weekend Chilean Gourmet had a stand at what I like to call the "rich people bazaar".&nbsp; All of the Chilean elite came out to spend lots of money on things they didn't need - so needless to say we sold a lot of products!&nbsp; I have never seen so many pregnant women in my life!&nbsp; It was super hot out so I think I'll sleep like a baby tonight.&nbsp; A Chilean Thanksgiving Pearl invited me to Thanksgiving dinner at her Chilean family's house.&nbsp; She spent the entire day cooking and made a huge Thanksgiving feast.&nbsp; There were about 12 Chileans and us - so we explained Thanksgiving traditions in the U.S. and introduced them to sweet potatoes, stuffing and pumpkin pie! The dinner was fanstastic and besides speaking in Spanish, it almost felt like we were home.&nbsp; Pomaire Bus Fun Saturday we decided to take a trip outside the city to a small town called Pomaire that is known for its pottery.&nbsp; The bus system (as I mentioned before) if a huge debacle and I figured something very important out - Chileans refuse to say, "I don't know."&nbsp; Instead, they give you an answer even if it's completely wrong.&nbsp; People were sending me in all all different directions within the bus station and after an hour someone finally told me I was was in the wrong bus station.&nbsp; My friends and I missed each other, but I just went by myself.&nbsp; Oh yeah, I accidentally took the bus that stops every 3 minutes.&nbsp; What was supposed to be a 40 min trip took over two hours - but it was only $2 and I got to see lots of small towns! Pomaire itself was cute and had super cheap pottery.&nbsp; I had an incredible lunch called Pastel de choclo.&nbsp; It's one of the typical Chilean dishes and even though it has beef in it - I had to try it.&nbsp; It was soooo good.&nbsp; I even bought the pans so I could try to make it at home! I made some Chilean friends waiting for the bus - they were also confused by the "system" (we were just waiting on the side of the road) so we decided to just take a local bus to the next town over and catch a ride from there.&nbsp; It all worked out in the end...the joys of traveling and having no where to be at any particular time! Argentina here we come (I think) I think I bought my flight to Argentina this week.&nbsp; I don't recommend using the Aerolinea Argentina website..in case anyone was wondering.&nbsp; I have yet to receive a confirmation and they don't accept Skype calls, so we'll see if I can get on the plane next week! As I write this there is a parade outside my house.&nbsp; Lot of drums and dancing.&nbsp;
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/12/1227360540/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/12/1227360540/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/12/1227360540/tpod.html Sun, 23 Nov 2008 21:01:07 -0500 Santiago and beyond - adventures south of the equator

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Santiago, Chile

TrabajoSo this week I started my actual job here in Santiago - it is wonderful!&nbsp; Every day is a new adventure so I thought I'd try to capture the highlights.&nbsp; There's a great running trail a block from my place so I've been getting out to enjoy the beautiful weather (75 to 80 degrees every day with a light breeze). Unfortunately I saw three dead dogs this week.&nbsp; It breaks my heart and my new plan is to find a dog friend and feed him.&nbsp; He will wait for me every morning and walk with me to to the metro.&nbsp; I will start this new initiative next week. This week was entrepreneurship week so Endeavor hosted a huge event called "Elevatusideas" - it was so inspiring!&nbsp; All the entrepreneurs told their stories in front of about 3,000 people.&nbsp; My entrepreneur, Paulina, gave a talk about starting Chilean gourmet. I'm getting used to the metro system here - but figured out that I should stay away from buses!&nbsp; The bus system here is completely messed up and people end up waiting hours for buses...it's crazy.&nbsp; They just tried to implement the same system Bogota had, but it didn't work out so well here.&nbsp; Etniko Friday night I went out to dinner with the Endeavor group.&nbsp; We went to a wonderful Asian fusion restaurant called Etniko - it was delicious! Our crew consisted mostly of Endeavor folks from Portugual, Canada, the U.S. and the U.K.&nbsp; We went to a couple of bars afterwards to include a small salsa bar with my new friend Jennifer seen dancing in this picture. La maquina comio mi tarjetaSaturday I had the pleasure of getting my check card eaten.&nbsp; Luckily, I had just taken out money so I'm hoping I'll survive until a new card arrives.&nbsp; The joys of international travel!Santiago 10K I made an American friend in my building who is also a runner.&nbsp; She told me about the Santiago 10K today.&nbsp; Registration was closed (10,000 participants!) but we decided we would go run it anyway.&nbsp; We were some of the few people not wearing the bright red Nike tshirts for the race, but we had no problems getting into the race.&nbsp; The first 5K was a bit challenging because it was HOT and the sun was beaming directly on us with no shade.&nbsp; Around 3K I almost stepped on a dead dog and nearly threw up.&nbsp; The last 5K was good, but I was unable to finagle a metal.&nbsp; Post Race brunch Carey, her fiance Trevor, and a few others came back to our building for a postrace brunch.&nbsp; We stuffed our faces and then headed up to our roof to hang out by the pool.&nbsp; I put on SPF 45, but I still think I got burned!&nbsp; They want to go for burritos tonight to watch the Giants game, so I may join them.&nbsp; Back to work manana!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/12/1226880420/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/12/1226880420/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/12/1226880420/tpod.html Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:55:12 -0500 Santiago and beyond - adventures south of the equator

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Santiago, Chile

I'm finally here!&nbsp; I took a LONG plane ride from Toronto to Santiago and had a smooth ride to my new apartment here in Santiago.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; I was completely exhausted, so I took a nap and headed out to walk around my new neighborhood and get some essentials (food and toilet paper!)&nbsp; Yesterday (Saturday) &nbsp;I walked around Provedencia and had a great lunch - the typical caldillo de congrio (eel soup).&nbsp; The cutest stray dog sneaked into the restaurant.&nbsp; I knew I shouldn't pet him - but then he sat right in front of me and stared at me with the most innocent, beautiful eyes.&nbsp; I put my hand out for him to sniff and he jumped in my lap!&nbsp; Unfortunately, he was escorted out of the restaurant soon thereafter :(&nbsp; Another interesting thing I noticed:&nbsp; lots of mullets here!I went for a run this morning - it's about 75 degrees here with a nice breeze - perfect for running!&nbsp; The trail is a block from my house and there is an amazing view of the Andes as you run in one direction.&nbsp; Then I headed to plaza de armas to walk around and it turned out to be "immigrants day" in Santiago - there were people from all countries performing their baile tipico.&nbsp;Interestingly enough, here are the things open on Sundays in Chile-sports stores-shoe stores-hot dog restaurants-ice cream shopsI'm excited for my first day of work tomorrow!&nbsp;
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/brazil2005/1117064640/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/brazil2005/1117064640/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/brazil2005/1117064640/tpod.html Wed, 25 May 2005 21:28:53 -0400 Zouk, pao de queijo, churrasco, muito legal, nao eh?

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Brasilia, Brazil

I still love thee Brazil...Beautiful people, great food, spirit and dance. What's not to love?Brasilia was constructed between 1956 and 1960, during the government of President Juscelino Kubitschek. It was inaugurated, as Brazil's new capital, on April 21, 1960. Its master plan ("Plano Piloto") was conceived by Lucio Costa, and its major buildings were designed by Oscar Niemeyer. Why was it built?-Fear of invasions. Brazil had been systematically invaded in the past (by the French, the Dutch and even by the Portuguese, after Independence). Having the capital (Rio de Janeiro) by the sea made it very vulnerable. -Helping develop the heartland. -Security reasons. A smaller city would be easier to control in the event of riots or the like. Also, popular demand would be of lesser extent.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/ghana/1117067580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/ghana/1117067580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/ghana/1117067580/tpod.html Wed, 25 May 2005 21:09:17 -0400 First trip to West Africa

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Accra, Ghana

What I'll remember about Ghana:-swimming like a fish every night at hotel-eating fufu-Ghanaians love country music!-people carrying everything on thier heads-love of music and dance-hiplife music
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/berlin2005/1117064280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/berlin2005/1117064280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/berlin2005/1117064280/tpod.html Wed, 25 May 2005 19:44:07 -0400 Fun in Germany

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Berlin, Germany, Germany

Memories of Berlin:beer, electric shock muscle treatment, Berlin wall
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/sofia/1100995980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/sofia/1100995980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dcsalsera/sofia/1100995980/tpod.html Sat, 20 Nov 2004 19:17:27 -0500 Sofia-an unexpected Balkan delight!

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Sofia, Bulgaria

Unfortunately, I got strep throat for most of my trip here, but I had a few days to enjoy this lovely city!
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