“Can’t swim? That’s ok, its only 10 feet…”

After a few days in Rio I grew weary of the big city and decided to take the scenic Highway 101 to Paraty. Situated almost half-way between Rio and Sao Paulo, Paraty is a well preserved colonial town. The drive along the coastline is spectacular to say the least and offers views of many small fishing villages nestled in picturesque coves.

I arrived at Paraty late in the evening and was immediately struck by the tranquility of this small colonial town. The Atlantic Ocean was a stones throw from my balcony, and I was lulled to sleep by the sounds of the waves gently breaking on the beach.

In the morning, I realized that the beach looked over a shallow cove dotted with small islands. The cool water offered respite from the hot Sun and the stray dogs took frequent dips, giving new meaning to the phrase “salty sea dog”.

Paraty has beautifully preserved colonial architecture, including many forts,  a church and town plaza.

Cobblestone streets with white-washed houses looked just like they did a century ago, the electrified gas lamps added a nice touch in the evening.

Rusty canons still stood guard over the harbor, patiently waiting for the pirates to return.

Schooners ferried visitors to remote snorkeling spots and desolate island beaches.

Honeymooners preferred the seclusion of small chartered yachts that took them where ever they wished to go.

The shallow waters around the tiny islands offered exciting snorkeling opportunities.

The cove is surrounded by hills on all sides, in some places the water was tranquil enough to reflect the clouds.

The captain of “O Nome da Rosa” free-dived for crustaceans, his wife proudly showed off the catch. Later, she made a delicious lunch of fried fish, rice and a tomato shrimp sauce.

Little fishes swam around our boat, fighting over scraps tossed out by the crew.

These uninhabited island beaches are only accessible by boat during the daytime, beyond the soft sand the forest is home to chattering macaws.

Thunderclouds rolled in as the day drew to a close, as if to tell us that it was time to go home.

Here are some more pictures.

Good times in fair winds

Buenos Aires is an enchanted city that will captivate you with it’s European ambience and vibrant nightlife. The music of Tango halls and the aromas of neighborhood “Parillas” fill the air until the early hours of dawn. It is also one of the safest cities in South America. Here are some picture from my trip to BA.

The Offices of the President are located inside the elaborately carved Casa Rosada (Pink House). The building is painted pink, and not constructed out of sandstone.

The iconic “El Obelisco” in the center of “Plaza de la Republica” commemorates 400 years of Buenos Aires. The twelve lane “9 de Julio Avenue” runs on either side of this monolith. It’s fun to watch pedestrians scramble to cross the road, terrified of being caught in the middle as the light changes.

 

The architecture in Buenos Aires is distinctly European; majestic French, Italian and Spanish facades dominate the cityscape.

The wealthy and famous rest in peace in Recoleta Cemetery, where affluent families build elaborate mausoleums to remember the deceased.

 

Maria Eva Duarte de Peron, possibly the most influential woman in Argentinean politics lies here after being subjected to many post-mortem misadventures.

“Floralis Generica” is an installation by celebrated Argentinean architect Eduardo Catalano. The petals of this giant metal flower open and close at dawn and dusk every day.

The Buenos Aires port is one of busiest in South America. It is situated on the largest estuary in the world, called Rio de la Plata. You can watch the mammoth ships pass by from the serene grounds of the “Reserva Ecologica de Buenos Aires”.

The 19th century, impoverished neighborhoods of Buenos Aires were the birthplace of the uniquely Argentinean dance form – Tango. Since it’s creation it has been refined and adopted by people all over the world, but it hasn’t lost it’s seductive and sensual flavor.

Would you walk down this alley at 3 am in the morning? Sure, it’s Buenos Aires! Here are some pictures from the infamous pub crawl on my last night in BA.

Top to bottom, left to right – a cozy terrace Pub in Palermo, Quilmes the national beer, the “school” party bus, “loco extranjeros” flaunting traffic regulations, dance floor on Thursday night around 3 am, an impromptu hip-hop dance off.

You can see more pictures here.

I meet the Devil

Iguazu National Park near the Argentina-Brazil border covers approximately 500 sq. km. of steamy sub-tropical rainforest and has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is home to the world famous Iguazu Falls, a series of waterfalls on the Iguazu River.

It took me 20 hours on a bus to reach the nearby town of Puerto Iguazu from Buenos Aires. Here are some pictures from the trip:

Above, the jungle canopy seemed like a vast, green ocean dotted with plumes of steam rising from non-existent ships. Large and small waterfalls are spread out all over the jungle. A speed boat takes you to the base of one of the larger ones for a thorough soaking, the negative ions generated by the waterfall are supposed to make you happy. Afterword, I didn’t complain as I sat in my underwear on the banks of the river and waited for my clothes to dry!

Rainbows are created at the base of the smaller waterfalls in the park. Notice how the grass is flattened by the backsplash, as if an invisible helicopter is taking-off.

 

Myriad colored butterflies followed me everywhere, reminding me of a character from “One Hundred Years of Solitude”.

The park is home to hundreds of species of birds and thousands of other animals, including many jaguars. I spent an hour watching the howler monkeys in the Guava trees!

   

A system of catwalks and trails connect natural and man-made islands on the expansive Iguazu river. You can feel the tremendous power of the water underneath as you walk across the catwalks.

 

The river was too wide for my wide angle lens to handle! The basalt edge of the largest waterfall, called Garganta del Diablo, is in the bottom left of the picture.

Perched right on the edge of the Devil’s Throat, you can’t help but wonder what your fate would be if you took a tumble. The noise from the plunging water is deafening to say the least; and the mist kicked up is enough to soak you in seconds.

 

Below is another view to the left of one above, I waited for many impatient minutes for the mist to clear to take this shot.

 

Finally, a panoramic view of Garganta del Diablo from the Argentinean side, on the other side is Brazil.

You can see more picture here.

Hello world!

I am in Igauzu, near the border of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. Far, far away from the earthquake in Chile and any possible tsunami. It is REALLY hot here, I suppose being near the equator has something to do with it!

More later..

Paradise, poetry and pescado

The sea-port city of Valparaiso is approximately an hour and half from Santiago by bus. Many claim it to be the cultural capital of Chile, owing to it’s historic architecture, geographic location and artistic residents. It has the distinction of being a UNESCO world heritage site and home to Nobel Prize winning poet Pablo Neruda.

 

Since most of the houses are nestled into the surrounding hills, the city has a unique system of funicular elevators that shuffle residents from one neighborhood to another. The oldest of these is from the 19th century.

The city has a distinctive nautical feel, salty-dog bars and cafes abound.The beaches are punctuated with remnants of seafaring paraphernalia like this abandoned pier and crane.

The nearby beaches in Vinã del Mar are crowded with the usual tourists and weekenders from Santiago. The surf was pretty rough on the day I visited; yet people were swimming, surfing and sailing in little yachts.

Another 70 km up the coast are the sleepy villages of La Laguna and Zapallar, with beaches squeezed between thick forests and the Pacific Ocean.

Needless to say, fresh seafood is available aplenty, and the local restaurants offer sumptuous preparations just a few yards from the beach. Here is a dish that I had for lunch with a glass of superb Chilean wine. The recipe is my interpretation of how it was made, I hope it works out.

Corvina al Ajillo (Sea Bass with Garlic and Olive Oil)
by Parag Talekar

Ingredients
For the fish:
2  filets of Sea Bass
5 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly (remember Goodfellas?)
1/4 cup of good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, quartered for garnish
2 tbsp chopped parsley for garnish
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
For the salsa:
1 onion, finely chopped
2 large ripe tomato, finely chopped (retain the juice and seeds)
1/2 jalapeño pepper, deseeded and chopped finely
1 tsp of dried oregano
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp lemon juice
sea salt to taste

Preparation

Salsa:

1. Mix all the ingredients together, add a little water if necessary. The salsa should be a little runny.

Fish:

1. Salt and pepper both sides of each filet and drizzle with a little olive oil
2. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a non-stick pan and add the filets
3. Cook one side about 2-3 minutes or until brown, turn over and cook another 1-2 minutes or until nice and brown
4. Remove the filets from the pan, cover and set aside
5. Heat the rest of the olive oil in the same pan and sauté the sliced garlic until light brown. Be careful not to over-cook the garlic or it will taste bitter.
6. Place the filets on a serving plate, pour the garlic olive oil over them and garnish with parsley and lemons. Squeeze some lemon juice and enjoy!

Try this with a glass of white wine and crusty bread to dip in the garlic olive oil.

You can see more pictures here (soon).

Scotch on the Rocks

The El Morado National Monument is located approximately 100kms from Santiago, Chile. The park covers the canyon of the river Maipo and the peaks around it, part of Andes mountain range. It is home to the 5,060m high El Morado and also to the San Francisco glacier.

Here is a panoramic view of the park, you can see el Morado and the glacier in the distance. The hike up to the glacier from the entrance is approximately 8kms over rock strewn and sometimes challenging terrain.

The first pit-stop (I needed many) on the way to the glacier is a lush green area created by bubbling underground springs. Other-worldly reddish colored pools form here due to the concentration of iron in the rocks.

Another steep climb around the corner brings you to a picturesque lagoon, in whose aquamarine waters are reflections of the lofty peaks. The icy cold water doesn’t deter visitors from taking a quick, refreshing dip.

  

Another strenuous climb brings you the valley carved out by the glacier thousands of years ago. You can see the glacier just to the left of the peak in the middle of the picture.

Yay! I made it to the base of glacier at an elevation of 2550m above sea level. What looks like rock, around the snow field, is actually solid ice covered with debris that the glacier brought down with it.

And finally, Scotch on the Rocks! In case you’re wondering, yes, that is glacial ice.

 

You can see more pictures of my trip to the Andes here.

A Simpler Life

San Antonio Cuajimoloyas is a small village at an elevation of 10,000 feet in the Sierra Norte mountains that surround Oaxaca City. Interesting side note, most places in Mexico have two-part names, the first part is usually a Catholic Saint and is followed by a pre-Hispanic name, e.g. San Antonio Cuajimoloyas.

 

The village is accessible by a winding, dusty and partially paved mountain road that requires serious driving skill. The bus I rode on was a beat up 1970s Mercedes Benz mini-bus, the locals call it a “turkey cage”, an allusion to the people bouncing around inside.

The vegetation changes from arid scrub-land to rich pine forests as you ascend the mountains. Above is a flowering “Maguey” plant, a kind of agave.

Another example of the beautiful flora (and fauna, notice the bee?) on the mountain. A few days earlier, I got stung by one of these beauties, thankfully I’m not allergic.

These and yet smaller cacti litter the mountain side trails, you have to be very careful when scrabbling up the boulders.

Here I am, atop one of the two summits I climbed with the help of Evisimo, my local guide. He was like a mountain goat, scrambling up the rock face with ease while I panted in the dust. At one point, he sat down and pretended to be just as winded to make me feel better!

Look at the small tree on the summit (in the center of the picture), see anything familiar? Its where I stood with my arms outstretched.

Another view of the magnificent Sierra Norte mountains from the second summit.

The villagers farm potatoes in small fields on the gentler slopes and raise goats and turkeys beside their modest dwellings. If you ever go to Cuijimoloyas, take lots of junk food like cookies, potato chips and hard candy – villagers, young and old, will be very pleased with you.

 

My excursion ended with a simple lunch at the village’s no-name restaurant. It seemed like everybody from the village was there for lunch, which consisted of rice, beans, beef with onions, tomatoes, peppers and the ever present corn tortillas. Perfecto!

You can look at additional pictures here

Culinary Adventures in Oaxaca

The state of Oaxaca (wa-ha-ca) is know for its many culinary treasures,  chief among them are “Moles” or sauces. Savory moles made with chocolate and spices are particularly famous all around the world. A lesser know local specialty is “Mole Verde” or Green Mole, known for it’s freshness and vivid green color.

My day began with a trip to local “Mercado” to procure ingredients for a traditional Oaxacan lunch. The menu started with Memelitas, small corn tortillas topped with Huitlacoche (a kind of fungus that grows on corn kernels), followed by Sopa de flor de calabaza (squash blossom soup). The main course consisted of Mole verde con carne de puerco y pollo (Green mole with pork and chicken). Dessert was Pay de requeson con salsa de chocolate (Ricotta cheese cake with chocolate sauce).

Here are some pictures from the market.

This lady was selling squash blossoms that she had plucked early in the morning. The green herb to her left is Epazote leaves, they are widely used in Mexican cooking as a flavoring agent.

These are Yerbasanta leaves, one of the principal ingredients in Mole verde. Its hard to describe their taste, they taste a little bit like “Paan” leaves from South Asia.

Yes, these are chicken with their feet still attached. Notice the lack of refrigeration, these were butchered and dressed just few hours ago. Their jaundiced appearance is due to the addition of Marigold petals to their feed, yellow is considered healthier and aesthetically pleasing.

The butchers in the market hang their best pieces of meat outside their shops to attract customers; in this case it appears to be a whole side of pork. Once again, no refrigeration or processing.

 

Here is the wonderful Mole verde I learned to make. The meat is pressure cooked separately and then combined for presentation. The sauce is thickened using fresh “Masa” from the market.

I also learned to make a spicy salsa using two different chilies and tomatillos. The traditional vessel to make this salsa in is a mortar and pestle made of volcanic rock. The recipe is reproduced here with thanks to Ms. Pilar Cabrera, who gives lessons in Oaxacan cooking at La casa de los Sabores.

Salsa de dos Chiles
by Pilar Cabrera (additional notes in parentheses are mine)

Ingredients

3 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of chile de arbol, dried (these are the spicy ones used in General Tso’s Chicken and other spicy Chinese recipes)
1/2 cup of chile pastilla oaxaqueno, dried (these are local to Oaxaca and hard to find, you can use smoked poblano peppers instead)
1 cup of tomatillos
3 avocado leaves, dried (you can find these at your local Hispanic grocery store)
1 cup of water
Coarse sea salt to taste

Preparation

1. Roast chiles and tomatillos. (Roast ingredients individually in a cast iron or heavy bottom non-stick pan).
2. Crush the garlic cloves, salt and avacado leaves in a mortar and pestle. Then add the chiles, and finally the tomatillos. Add salt to taste. (Rehydrate the chiles in a little water before adding them, it makes it easier to crush them. Quarter the tomatillos before crushing them or you risk being squirted in the eye).

WARNING:

1. This is an intensely spicy salsa, adjust the amount of chile de arbol to your preference.
2. You can use a blender but it will not taste as good as the one made in a mortar and pestle. If you don’t believe me, try it both ways!

Additional pictures of the market and cooking class can be seen here (soon, it takes forever to upload to flickr on a 10 kb/s connection).

Teotihuacan

The great pyramids at Teotihuacan are all that remains of a great civilization that pre-dates the Aztecs, Mayas and Toltecs. Nobody knows who they were or what they called themselves and their city-state. The name Teotihuacan was given by the Aztecs when they discovered the ruins, it means Birthplace of the Gods in Nahuatl.

Here are some highlights from my trip to Teotihuacan.

This is a close-up of some wonderfully preserved murals near the main pyramids. This one is called “Procession of the Priests” and depicts priests spreading seeds and singing to appease the fertility gods. Notice the comic-book like speech bubble with symbols in it. These people did not have a written language and the symbols were used to convey ideas.

The Pyramid of the Moon is the smaller of the two pyramids at the site. Its located on the North end of the “Avenue of the Dead”.

Here is another view of the Pyramid of the Moon and the Avenue of the Dead.

This is the Pyramid of the Sun at the South end of the complex, both pyramids were used for religious rituals and had temples at the top. Interestingly, the fourth tier was added by the archaeologists to make the pyramid look more like the ones in Egypt, originally it was just a flat top. 

The palaces and building surrounding the pyramids were inhabited by priests and the upper class. The common folk lived around these opulent structures in houses built out of organic materials. According to one theory, they became weary of their oppression and burned down the palaces and upper class houses leading to the eventual decline of the great city-state.

You can see more pictures here.

Mexico City

Mexico city is the third largest urban agglomeration in the world, exceeded only by New York and Tokyo. Mumbai (Bombay) follows a close fourth. It is vast, beautiful, romantic, polluted and dangerous all at the same time.

The city and its surrounding urban sprawl occupies what used to be a series of lakes a few centuries ago. The earliest humans lived here as long ago as 30,000 BC. Since then the city has played host to a diverse cast of characters over the centuries. First, the great civilization of Teotihuacan (Tea-o-tea-wah-can) then the nomadic Toltecs. A few centuries later, the Aztecs built the great city of Tenochtitlan with its temple in the middle of modern-day Mexico City. And later, the Spanish arrived to build the capital of Nueva Espana on top of the razed Aztec city. You can read more about Teotihuacan and Tenochtitlan in an upcoming post.

Here are some pictures of the city.

Angel de la Independencia is an iconic monument dedicated to the heroes of Mexican independence. The base contains the remains of insurgent leaders and the golden angel on top is Nike (Greek goddess of victory?). The road is called Paseo de la Reforma.

Mexico City is plagued with numerous earthquakes and minor tremors almost everyday. The combination of this and the spongy lake bed soil has caused many building to sink or lean unevenly.

Parts of Mexico City are still crime-ridden and quite unsafe even for locals. All the major tourist areas are safe and have extraordinary police presence. The “Policia” are heavy armed and mostly stand around talking on their cell phones. I never felt unsafe, even late at night. However, I tried to ask for directions from a woman in a not-so-touristy area and she literally ran for her life. In her defense, the steet was deserted and I probably looked like a “bandido”.

The VW Beetle seems to be a popular car in Mexico, they were produced in Mexico until 2003.

The city has an excellent public transport system that includes a vast network of trains and buses. The “Metrobus” even have dedicated lanes on major roads. Still, traffic is a nightmare and many people drive because gas prices are low; probably subsidized by the government run petroleum industry – Pemex.

No post about Mexico City would be complete without something about the street food vendors. They are ubiquitous as stray dogs but unlike their canine companions, serve mouth watering food. Stay tuned for a post on my culinary adventures in Mexico City.

You can see more pictures of the city here.