LONDON // Local choices

Have been meaning to put up a few of my suggestions for tourists who want a blend between touristy spots and local hang outs.  (Not including the obvious museums) I'm not keen on places you have to book before you go etc... so apart from Ciro's Pomodoro food (which can get very busy) everything else is very much go with the flow! 

• Between Thursday and Saturday // Borough Market sat for lunch and drink. (great vibe) -- Grab a cider at the cider bar. From there you are on the doorstep to Southbank so can pop into Tate modern or have a walk along the river.

• Portobello road (the Electric Cinema is VERY cool for a date (if you want to chill) -- beers and stretched out sofas while fluffing it up with a movie.// Otherwise if you are keen to go to Portobello Market on a Saturday the Electric Brasserie is pretty good.

• Boris bike -- London on a bike is where it's at. Ditch the tube, bus and save your sneekers - grab a Barclays Boris Bike (easy to hire) -- recommended route: Option 1: Cycle along Hyde Park through to St James park and stop at The Orange pub or The Thomas Cubit for a drink. (nice) Option 2: Camden Lock route below.

• Camden lock canal   -- walk towards Maida Vale (little Venice) -- you will end up walking through Regents Park which is amazing and through London zoo (very cool). Beautiful scenary and houses ... at the end of it be nicely greeted by The Waterway restaurant for a drink/food.

Also while in Camden visit the on the water bookstore.

• Spitafield Market  -- Morrocoan meatballs at Leon?

• Brick lane. on a Sunday: Hell yeah. 

• Richmond -- High street shopping, pop along to the green, have a drink by the river, walk up Richmond Hill and have a drink at the Roebuck - local style.

•  Richmond park - visit Isabella plantation.

Cider @ Borough Market

Food and Booze.

••  The Waterway (Little Venice) 

•• Ciros Pomodoro for dinner (italian in Knightsbridge) -- live music from 9pm

•• The Old Ship pub or The Dove (Hammersmith) 

•• The Piano Bar (live music and drinks opposite High street ken tube station (Kind of a middle age)

•• The Churchill Arms (Kensington church street ) --- super cool for a drink and to grab a thai green curry :) 

•• Ottolenghi (cupcakes)

•• If you want somewhere hip and underground, on a Friday pop to Ginglik (Check out first to see if its a Friday run by Charlie and Sam - groovy baby)

•• Clubby style: Proud camden

• If you have an extra day I would go to Cambridge for the day - punting on the river!

Even on a winter's day - cycling through the park is glorious!

Happiness in only real when shared

. us both, Marataízes, Espirito Santo .

• Travel love •

NEW YORK

It is no surprise NYC is known as “The City that never sleeps.” As if all the bars and restaurants and clubs and theatres that surround the city’s avenues and streets were not enough, a wonderful life of music, magic, Saki bars and entertainment exists on a parallel, underground.

Having spent some time in this brilliant city here are some of my suggestions….

Apart from the obvious touristy attractions, here are my simply MUST DO’s:

** CYCLE down/up the Westside Highway  (You can hire a bike just off St Chritopher’s street)

** Go for at least one BRUNCH

** WALK along the “HIGH LINE” elevated park - www.thehighline.org

** Get to know the UNDERGROUND wonders

** Have a Rooftop drink

** MAGNOLIA CUPCAKE - 401 Bleecker Street 10014 - www.magnoliabakery.com

** Walk across Brooklyn Bridge

** Vintage stores in Williamsburg

** Catch a live music gig

** Madison Square Gds

So, to go alongside these tips here are some options:

.daytime.

Walk along the "high line" elevated park if its a nice day, you can even pop to magnolia on the way and then along the river Hudson for a cycle- all pleasures in a nutshell.

Visit the MOMA / Central Park / Lincon Centre (Romeo and Juliet is currently on)

.food & drinkies.

MEAT PACKING

Start your evening at Spice market, there is nothing like their ginger margeritas!

Perhaps a drink at the roof top of one of the following:

Gansevoort hotel or SOHO house

Pastis - www.pastisny.com - great option for both brunch or dinner

WEST VILLAGE

Extra Virgin: www.extravirginrestaurant.com  Cozy Italian in West Village, nice bar too.

Tartine: (253 W. 11th St., New York, NY 10014 ) French place, nice for brunch

LA ESQUINA: (Taqueria) MUST HAVE DINNER HERE! www.esquinanyc.com

CHELSEA

Tia Pol: Cozy lovely tapas place

Red Cat: In Chelsea with good American cuisine.

SOHO

Boqueria: www.boquerianyc.com - Lovely tapas and wine! Great place to pop in on rainy afternoons for a drink and catch up

EAST VILLAGE

Decibal Saki bar - www.sakebardecibel.com - 240E, 9^th Street – Btw 2^nd/3^rd street - order wasabi dumplings and try many of the sakis available on the menu!

LOWER EAST

Stanton Social: www.thestantonsocial.com Great restaurant and bar scene

Schiller’s Liquor Bar: www.schillersny.com American brasserie. Good food, great cocktails, fun/hip vibe, cool people. Crowded and noisy.

Inoteca: (Rivington & Stanton) www.inotecanyc.com Great wine list, yummy Italian small plates. No reservations and usually a long wait, but it’s worth it and you can drink wine while you’re waiting. Small and crowded, but in summer they open the doors out to the sidewalk. 

TRIBECA

Next Door Nobu: Cheaper than Nobu – don’t take reservations, great deal, good scene

BROOKLYN/ Williamsburg 

Le Barricou – www.lebarricouny.com Brunch around 1pm

Go for a little stroll round Bedford street

Alterantive place for live music www.unionpool.blogspot.com

Clubs:

One oak night club / BOOM BOOM (at the Standard Hotel)/ THE BOX

Snapshots in motion of my time out in NYC

Barra Da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro.

.The sky broke like an egg into full sunset and the water caught fire. 

o Rio de Janeiro continua lindo...

Rio de Janeiro on a shoestring...

Perhaps a little biased but ideally I suggest you kip in either Ipanema or Leblon. That way you are in one of Rio’s nice neighbourhoods and away from the packed tourist spots. From what I gather 2 suggestions of budget places are the "Ipanema Beach House" -  www.ipanemahouse.com  hostel and Lemon spirit hotel www.lemonspirit.com
If you have the cash to spend on accomodation a top choice is the Fasano Hotel - www.fasano.com.br

With the enormous variety of places to eat out, I suggest you start by ordering a
"Picanha a Brasileira" at the famous "Garota de Ipanema" restaurant- (crossroads Vinicius de Moraes and Prudente de Moraes) Although this has increasingly become popular amongst tourists it is one of my absolute faves. Id suggest a stop over at lunch time, order for a caipirinha and get a "brasileira" between you and friends. A little background on it- This is the spot where Vinicius de Moraes used to sit and watch as the girl from Ipanema used to walk by on her way to the beach. The song "girl from Ipanema" later to follow…

Another similar spot is the "Garota da Urca"- Urca Neighbourhood.
On a sat/sun afternoon the Bar Urca - www.barurca.com.br is spot on perfect too. Grab some finger foods and drink overlooking the Marina. Traditional amongst Brazilians.

Work up your appetite before you head to Rodizio Porcao. www.porcao.com.br There is one in Flamengo beach and another at Ipanema. While Flamengo is a better option for its beautiful view, both will equally satisfy your desire for good quality Brazilian meat. Vegetarians should stay away!

Obvious visits include:

• The lagoa (lagoon) stop in one of the kiosques and get a caipirinha. A nice way to do this is to hire a bike and cycle around it. 
• The Corcovado (Christ), a suggestion being taking the tram to the top just before dusk – this way you see the city both by day and by night. If you prefer to take a taxi, make sure he waits for you while you are up there!
•  If you are in luck, and happen to be in Rio on a Sunday (when the road is closed) I recommend hiring a bike and cycling along the calcadao beach from ipanema all the way along to Copacabana and back. You will fit right in with all the other cariocas. 
• Visit of course, the Pao de Acucar (Sugar loaf) but as many would say it offers a similar experience as that to the Corcovado.
• LAPA (historical centre) - visit the Arcos / Selaron staircase / http://selaron.net/Matos/english/selaron.htm - Pop to Bar da Boa for a cold Antartica (beer) - See http://www.lanalapa.com.br/default.asp for excellent options at Lapa.

Copacabana at night can be packed with Prostitutes. Stay clear.

Activities suggested include

• Spending a saturday at Praia da Barra (Barra beach) along where the kite surfers all hang out. - Barraca do Pepe spot- www.pepe.com.br 
• Take up hang glinding for an afternoon launching off the Pedra da Gavea in Sao Conrado. www.riohanggliding.com 
• If you want a taste of Brazilian Carnival, there is a place at the Lagoa where you can go and see the samba schools practicing

Santa Tereza

Eat as much Lula Frita (Calamari) as you can, drink many caipirinhas and soak up the sun!

Find a place to have a feijoada (brasilian typical dish) on a saturday, pop to Santa Tereza (the historical part of Rio) -  stopping at the Aprazivel www.aprazivel.com.br , an excellent restaurant for lunch.

(I hear from friends there are excellent guided tours round Santa Tereza and Lapa- will try to include one here). Have a wonder up and down Ipanema, Leblon, popping in and out of shops, stopping at one of the many juice bars to quench your thirst. BB LANCHES (leblon)a personal fave -  Put on your havaianas and shades and get into the general Carioca way of life...

From Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang, Lao

Sabai-dee from Lao!

Travelling froom Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang I had Eddie Vedder keeping me company throughout. His music just fits the scene perfectly. Behind every bumpy bend we came across a new village - under the hot sun men worked the fields, 3 sometimes 4 on a single motorbike, so many childen everywhere. Woke up far too early this morning. The air is so still right now.  Never have I seen so many shades of green.

Vang vieng is a funny little place - we had 3 very entertaining days there - cycling to the lagoon, long walks, caves and such fun tubing it down the river - crawling from bar to bar only to refill our tiger whiskey buckets and carry on down. On the last night tubing Le, Jess and I stopped at our little fav bar (the last bar as it's called) for a drinkie just in time as the monsoon hit us  hard.

Jess laughing asking me "would you rather try to get back in this little tube through this thunderstorm or in the dark?" it turns out we did both- that last hour on those little tubes in pitch black, tipsy, with lightning above and such heavy rain was possibly the funniest moment ever. It was never ending and absolutely amazing. I could not stop laughing... it was so dark that only when lightining hit could we even see in which direction we were heading.

Luang Prabang is beautiful. A visit here is a must for anyone passing through laos. I just loved it. Our hotel facing the river, did the best dry marini in town. I just love the way time seems to stop when you are travelling.

Last night we strolled through the night market, had the obvious laobeer, and simply enjoyed this perfect little place.

Jess and Le- amazing travelling buddies.

Finding Pemba & Zanzibar, Tanzania.

Jambo Family x (18.01.2007)


According to the Lonely Planet guidebook "Diani Beach" was very developed with huge hotel resorts, so we opted for the quieter Tiwi beach. Had a lovely day just chilling and that evening we decided to face the "buzzy, developed Diani" which in fact turned out to be as calm and remote as anything, with only very few hotels.

Wasini Island

The next day, having discovered that Diani was so much nicer, with silk sand beaches we went back and spent the whole day relaxing at the Diani reef 5* hotel with an English couple we met- we drank the local beer and sat in the pool bar all afternoon making use of their plush facilities! Going back to our mozzie infested - non air-co room that evening was not easy.
From Tiwi we headed south towards Shimoni, where we got a local fisherman to take us across to the slow paced Wasini island. Here we planned to stay for the evening. With all the day trippers having left, this island was the most idyllic place on earth. As we were taken around by a local 20 year old, (father of 2), there was a complete sense of harmony in the air. The children laughed and played- joining in with the boys for a game of football- walking  through the coral gardens, mangroves everywhere, the little houses all built from mud. I had my camera and the kids kept asking me to take pictures as they pulled funny faces… these people had so little but still there was a strong sensation of happiness everywhere.

Woke up at 4am with the sound of our Dhow boat coming in to pick us up to take us to Pemba island (Tanzania). No water. No toilet. No food. This trip shaping up as an adventure. With only the light of the stars we were the only 2 travellers on this island, got our backpacks and got onto this cargo sailing boat. It was pitch black and all you could see was the small moon and the stars. I felt like a real explorer… the exciting feeling soon got replaced by nausea as the strong waves knocking our little boat about. The 8 hour intended journey was long, quickly shaping up to a 24 hour hot and tiresome adventure...worth every penny as the boat drifted into the most beautiful beach of all- PEMBA ISLAND. we have landed!

… and here we are now. As I type this I can see outside my hut window the most brilliant view of all- a magical 3 tone sea, starting from pale blue, turquoise and in the distance a darker blue. The sand on the beach is so fine that it tickles when you walk on it… and best of all, there is no one else around. We have been here at the "manta reef" since yesterday, the plan  is to stay in Pemba until Saturday where we are then boating it across to Zanzibar.

Will write again soon,
Love and beijos  xx

Discovering Kenya

Arrived in Nairobi on a Sunday night very late only to find every street isolated. That eeriee feeling in the air of not knowing where I had landed.  Found myself wondering if this really was a capital city or whether I was stuck lost in some back street. Deciding on the Lonely Planet's author's choice when choosing a "midrange" hotel-  it was horrible... a cockroach heaven! Had a quick bite and snuggled for our lives praying for morning under the mossie-net.

Monday morning- sun was out, buzzy roads, children on their way to school- the city was pumping... Booked onto a budget Safari trip to Tsavo West… the sooner out of this chaotic city the better. And so we set off, with our 3 Kenyan new friends- our guide, our cook and our mechanic. Great team! Getting out of Nairobi was not easy- under the 40C sun, we headed towards animal paradise for 3 days of camping in the home of the man eaters…

Arrived in Tsavo just in time to see the most incredible sun set from the roof of the van… a giant elephant crossed the road… later we saw zebras, gazelles, all sorts. By the time we reached our campsite it was pitch black- with only the dim light of a torch our cook surprised us with a lovely African Bolognese. The next few days were blissful. Tsavo is beautiful- so much wildlife, stunning scenery…. and on our third day we were incredibly fortunate to see a leopard (rare according to our boys!) According to the team I bringing luck… In Africa i am considered to be quite funny!

Tsavo West

On our 4th day we decided to visit Amboseli, a different safari park. The landscape was in no way as wild as Tsavo but the fact the landscape was was so flat meant we were able to see animals even if they were so far in the distance. Unlike the caping cramped budget style we had previously had, this time we did it in style,  checkings into a luxurious 5 star hotel where we sat in the veranda, drank a few beers as Elephants, monkeys and zebras were spotted in the distance. incredible!

On Thursday we spent 10 hours travelling from Amboseli to Mombasa. Our Team agreed to drive us all the way… it was during this journey that I reminded myself of how incredibly lucky we all are. Our cook, starter telling us stories about his family- the poor man, 57, had lost his 6 brothers in different ways over the years (diseases, accidents, etc) his mother had then died while giving birth to his younger sister- who then later also died, he had 2 daughters who he rarely sees, and still the man was always smiling, always telling anecdotes and trying to please us. Really, this trip is an eye opening experience. Not only do we have money, health, family and friends close to us, but most importantly we appreciate all of what we have.

A few days in Mombasa was enough to get a sense of the place.

Now we are currently in Tiwi- a little beach resort- wonderful view from my hotel room- palm trees, white sand and blue blue sea… From here the plan is to keep travelling down the coast… Diani beach is next, and then we shall see. The aim is to eventually reach zanzibar... no real pressure on time...

Notes on Central America

CostaRica:

The Jungle. Monteverde- we only did the Zip wire experience. Ridiculously amazing! Explore the wildlife and get in touch with your tarzan side. Make sure you do the zip wire which includes TARZAN fall. This is pretty fun. Top tip for the budget boy: Say you are a student and try and blag it for a cheaper price.

Dont economize on this though because the most expensive one is worthit- 18 zip wires and one tarzan jump. bosh.

On the pacific coast we popped to Montezuma - if you are a carribean turquoise waters lover though - this isnt ideal. however, for surfers this is quite the place to be. backpacking feel, huge waves, plenty of beer. Cheap and cheerful. Fun atmosphere with lots and lots of young people but the beach isn't postcard like - rocky and pebbly. Quite the party place.

For those searching for long stretches of white sand head to the Carribean coast- amazing!!! We
went to a place called Cahuita on the way down to the panama islands where the town was grotty but the beach was incredible. Inside a national park, walk all the way through forest and sand to the end of the end only to be greeted by the fiery little thief-like monkeys on the beach. beautiful. So gorgeous... As you strolled up the beach you had the turquoise sea on your left and on your right the jungle. Follow the path....


Panama islands is a MUST DO! Get chatting tothe local gents and figure a price for him to take you on a boat for the day and drop you in a island called Zapatilla. That is the most perfect place i have ever been to in my life. it is like a  little island in the middle of nowhere and the water is sooo blue...
Its completely isolated though so only go there if you have few friends or other people with you.

Lie on hammocks, drink white russians, hire bikes, explore.

Buenos Aires in a nutshell

Memories of my Buenos Aires moments. A little says a lot about each neighborhood you visit….

Recoleta is the "Chelsea" of Buenos Aires. While strolling the streets alongside girls in Gucci, Prada and Armani you will stumble across beautiful parks, cozy cafes and boutique shops aplenty. In the park, filled with its vibrant market stalls at weekends you can also visit the Recoleta cemetery, where Evita rests in peace. The beautiful white church "Basílica Nuestra Señora del Pilar" is a simply must- a spot I often walked past in my many afternoon when living in BA.

Dog Walking around Recoleta

Trendy Palermo is an up and coming neighborhood popular amongst the young professionals and their families. Here you will absorb the true young Argentinean spirit. Palermo is split into 4 areas: Palermo Viejo, Palermo Hollywood, las Canitas and Palermo soho. Calle Baez is the home of cuisine with many restaurants to pick from at a pretty descent price. Cortada and a glass of vino. Check.

If Tango is what you’re after head to San Thelmo – a traditional neighborhood packed with antique stores and market stalls, re-hydrate with a drink at the plaza and enjoy the live open-air music and dancing. Noisy and packed this experience cannot be missed.

If river view and awesome steak is what you’re after visit Puerto Madero, port. Make sure you order the parilla of roasted vegetables too. A little pricey when compared to other places and quite touristy but definitely worth the visit. During my time living there, we often had dinner on the port and later followed onto Opera Bay club (it used to be called El Divino previously) A popular place for happy hour drinkies amongst the locals.

Centro, Obviously the dst centre of Buenos Aires, very industrial but worth popping over all the same. Not sure how much to add as only went there for work really.

Avenida de Mayo, has a famous cafe called cafe tortoni: it is one of the oldest cafes in BA and has really cool live music at night. jazz , tango, very diverse.

As for stating the obvious: usual museums, the Casa Rosada, Plaza de los dos congresos, Cabildo, Avenia de Julio (Obelisk), Plaza de Mayo, teatro Colon and the list goes on…

Enjoy the music, the European feel of this city, friendly people and drink all the red wine from Mendoza you can handle. Salud!

---------------------------------------
Tips extra das amigas:
Tem um restaurante annniimmaaalll modernete (e garçons meio "blasé") em Palermo que chama TEGUI. Nao eh nada classy e mto menos tango-style, mas se vc quiser comer bem (comida meio fusion), eh uma pedida! Pensando bem, acho que vc tb ia curtir ir no Hotel Faena (do Philip Stark) que eh em Puerto Madero... tb eh bemmmm moderno, mas já um pouco mais classy - como vc!!! Maybe lá, por ser hotel, tenha um Tango Night. Da um check! Classic Tango rola nos restaurantes do Carlos Gardel - ai eh uma coisa meio velha... nao sei bem, maybe Aro knows!!  Bom, bjos e see u soon girlies!
Carola
Sugiro tb SUCRE restaurante mto bom!! Melhor fazer o tango depois do jantar re pq os lugares do tango + jantar não tem os melhores jantares... bjs Anisha

Doing South America.

A  few suggestions amongst millions of choices!

Brasil
Too many places I would suggest visiting but of course one simply must:
Rio de Janeiro (see link below for my top tips on Rio) - this is ever changing and I'm not great at keeping it updated but some are classic that never really change!
http://wings-unclipped.blogspot.com/2010/07/o-rio-de-janeiro-continua-lindo.html


Argentina
Buenos Aires (see link below for my top tips on BA)
http://wings-unclipped.blogspot.com/2010/07/buenos-aires-in-nutshell.html

Patagonia- go down to the south and see the glaciers

Get to Salta where it all gets very rural.. too brilliant for words. From here you get the bus and start travelling north!!! I definitely recommend a visit to the Andes- get on a raft and back in with nature.

Bolivia

Top tip: make sure you take altitude tablets. Badge got altitude sickness when we were out there and I tell you camping in a Bolivian hospital is the WORST experience in the world! The border is a dodgy place, you wouldn't want to get stuck there like I did.

Salt Lakes

La Paz

When in La Paz make sure you do the World's Most Dangerous bike ride with "gravity" http://www.gravitybolivia.com/index.php?mod=tempview1&id=1251406369
Whether you're a cycle nut or not it's worth every penny of this for the adrenaline you get and the view around you. 8 hours of biking down dirt tracks surrounded by jungle and cliffs. Stay the night in the hotel that you have dinner in- really lovely!

Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca- a suggestion is to hire an old motorbike and explore the lakes.Spend a night in Copacabana. Pop to the irish man's little place by the water, order his local delicatessen.

Spend some quality time with a Bolivian family - get with it, try there clothes, there food, no electricity. indulge on fresh air and live the simple life for a while. 

Visit isla del sol.

Peru - Machu Pitchu
Top tip: However tired you are you simply MUST MUST climb up to WAYNA PITCHU as the view from the top is by far the most incredible!!! People spend days getting to machu only to miss out on this extra climb. Dont let sore legs and lungs defeat you. climb. Cusco for a night out.

Are you a jungle lover. do the Amazon.

If time is limited... From Cusco buy a flight to Puerto Maldonado. Not something for the faint hearted - sleep in huts, wash amongst piranhas and alligators, you will see tarantulas everywhere- fish at dawn, go out in a canoe at night - explore. Silence. creepy crawlers. Amazing.