Adopted Abuelos and beautiful lakehouses in Bariloche

I will fill you in later on my long journey from El Calafate to San Carlos de Bariloche (Bariloche for short). What you need to know for now is that it was a long, excrutiating almost-29 hour bus ride that ended with a fantastic downpour that delayed me further due to darkness and low visibility.

I had rented a beautiful house on the Nahuel Huapi peninsula and because my host is currently traveling, his parents were due to pick me up at the bus stop. No sooner did I descend from the bus did I spy a really cute octagenarian couple (nona? I can’t be sure) holding a sign with my name.

No big deal, just a wooden cottage on a lake surrounded by an apple orchard

Citizens of inhumanity

Last year I purchased a couple of impractical and expensive pairs of jeans from net a porter…one of which were these pretty dusty pink jeans from Citizens of Humanity. In the last 6 months, these poor jeans have suffered greatly under my (lack of ) care. Now a week into my Argentina trip, they look pitiable. It starts with the mud and moss stains at the bottom, progresses to massive bicycle chain grease on the shins and ass, more dirt and even some blood for good measure (as I am the duchess of wipe outs) and finally the erstwhile carefully placed areas of distress turn into actual rips and holes. You can’t get this in a store.

What nice jeans should NOT look like

That reminds me , I better get some laundry done when I get to bariloche.

So let me tell you how I ended up ruining my jean, or as I like to refer to it fondly, the worst bicycle ride of my life.

Paranoia and Ushuaia (segunda parte)

Turns out I found Argentina’s wow and it is here in Ushuaia, South of Argentina, end of the world, tierra del fuego…land of fire. With an awe-inspiring name like that, one would hope that Ushuaia delivered, and it already has since I arrived here at 8 am this morning to this insane sunrise scene at the airport. For the uninitiated, I can’t be arsed to wake up at the asscrack of dawn to witness sunrises, this 8 am sunrise was custom-made for me.

Custom-made Sunrise for lazy people

Curry, Water, Wine and Pisco

2014 is a tall order

Life has suddenly in a matter of months become very exciting, very different. 2014 may turn out to be a game changer after all. I want to strap on my seatbelt and brace myself for the rollercoaster. I just hope no one gets hurt.

Four months in and the new boyfriend still feels new. Sure we have had some fights but none have made me sad yet and none have not ended in very graphic sex. With “I love yous” thrown around as often as the weather changes in Hong Kong, I feel that life has suddenly been filled with fondness of a kind I haven’t yet known. So I can only hope it lasts because I cannot grow tired of this.

3 stars: 2013 – A year in review

I am quite proud of the fact that I usually keep my new year’s resolutions, at least some of them, if not all. But it’s the 6th of January and present me is not smug at all. Because 2013 me pretty much shat the bed when it came to new year’s resolutions.

When in doubt, smile – Ten days and nine nights in magical Myanmar

Written in bits and bursts in present and past tense while traipsing about Myanmar (Burma) between Sept 20 and Sept 30, 2013.

Jin, elvish pixie and I are heading tonight towards the enigmatic, problematic and hydromatic (oops) country of Myanmar. The old hindi song “mere piya gaye rangoon, kiya hai wahaan se telephoon, tumhaari yaad sataatee hai…” comes to mind (my darling went to Rangoon and phoned me from there to tell me he misses me) though ironically I am not sure I will have cellphone reception on the Burmese plateaus (spoiler alert: I didn’t). Our route is Yangon-Bagan-Heho-Inle-Mandalay-Yangon. This will include two days of trekking and home stays on the Shan plateau. On my last day, I will be by myself in Yangon and hope to make the most of it. I’ve borrowed hazel’s backpack and haven’t even managed to fill it up. 3 pairs of linen pants (shamelessly island-style), a long Indian skirt, 9 old and boring-looking teeshirts, a sports bra, flip-flops, a bathing suit, medicines and toiletries. No heels, no dresses, no finery – this is strangely liberating.

Why La Tomatina is like going to war and maybe more dangerous

La Guerra de La Tomatina
(I am the one in blue goggles!)

When was the last time you did something for the first time?

On Wednesday, August 28th,  I went to la tomatina – something I have wanted to do for the bloody yonks now. It was ridiculous and fun and most certainly the most life-threatening situation that I have willingly thrust myself into. This vegetal war is not to be taken lightly. Yes you will laugh and you will have fun but make no mistake, you can bloody well hurt yourself or even kill yourself if you’re not lucky. And for being a tiny 5-foot-zero creature, I am fucking grateful that I made it out of there alive without any crazy injuries or broken bones and with all facial features and dignity intact.

Monsoon, Mahabaleshwar and getting Married to an earthern pot

Dear Juice,

I have been missing in action for both right and wrong reasons in equal measure. But I’d be remiss to not write my usual update from an airport lounge, in this case (again) the very crappy Celebrations lounge in Bombay airport.

Koya Koya San

April 5, 2013…Three hours door to door. I don’t know what I was worried about. I took the 8.55 train from Nara to Osaka-Namba, arrived at 9.40, briskly walked to the Nankai line station, took the 10 a.m. limited express Nankai train to Gokurakubashi, arrived there by 11.20 or so, boarded the cable car that was waiting at the station to Koyasan and then took the little bus to renge-dani and then found my beautiful temple a minute later.
Fudo-in. At first sight, too pretty, too posh to be a temple but when you look closer, you see the amount of care that’s gone into making this ancient place (12th century people!) a temporary haven for tourists like me. The same signs that flank tourist attractions (with the description of the place) flank some of the buildings in the complex. I am in awe. I seem to have an entire wing to myself, why, I don’t know, but I am not complaining. The toilets are public and so are the baths but they are all spotless like everywhere else in Japan so there’s no reason to worry.

Deer Nara, …

….my Japan updates won’t be in sequence…

After a day of crazy tiring sightseeing and horribly crowded public buses in Kyoto, I was not particularly excited about more temples and shrines in Nara. In fact, when I woke up, I thought to myself that when I got to Hong Kong, I’d have enough time on Sunday to book myself in for a facial, a foot massage and a mani/pedi. I got really really excited thinking about that, and I missed Hong Kong and its conveniences. And as I walked with my suitcase to get a bus to get to the train station, I missed its cabs too.