A series of photos from Latin America

I'm behind in my posting... so I now share a series of photos from my recent trip through Latin America...

All meetings revolve around coffee (or more aptly, espresso)...

(Brazil)

To counter-act all the espresso, one should indulge in local delicacies... like Chilean Carmenere.  Here I tried a flight of Carmenere (for the record, all were good, but the one of the far right was amazing)...

(Chile)

Sometimes things get mistranslated... (No, I did NOT try the "Critters" -airport Dunkin Donuts are never a good choice, regardless of the country you are in)

(Chile?)

When near the Amazon, one must have Amazonian food and drink.  This is from a restaurant called Amaz, in Lima, Peru:
 


 


And when in Peru, you should really try to learn about Pisco...

(Peru)

And, finally, in Colombia, ajiaco is a can't be missed soup full of local flavor...

(Colombia).

Whew - I'm so full just looking at it all again!

Brazil - Sao Paulo!

Upon arrival to Sao Paulo after a red-eye flight, there were a few necessities to take care of.  A nap, a hot shower, and a hot meal - in that order.

I decided to try out Bella Paulista - a 24 hour Brazilian version of a New York diner (in terms of service, atmosphere, and speed of food.  However, the food was all Brazilian, complete with an amazing bakery selection).  Upon walking in, it seemed to be something akin to a Soup Nazi experience - everyone knew how things worked.  It didn't work like anything I'd seen before, and I quickly decided that my goal was to not make an ass of myself - in other words - figure it out fast, and blend in.

You take a number when you walk in.  This becomes your ID and tab.  You can take food from the bakery counter, or sit down and choose something from the menu, or grab something from the ready-made food section of the coolers.  No matter the choice, your selections are charged to your number, which you then turn in and settle up for before leaving.

I decided to grab a table, and get a hot meal.  The menu was absolutely enormous.  What to choose, what to choose.

Well, when in Rome (or Sao Paulo)...

I selected from the Regional Dishes portion of the menu, and took the Paulistinhia; if it is named after the city, it can't be bad, right?

I had NO idea how huge this meal was about to be.

Also, it was delicious.  Not fancy.  Not the greatest example of culinary skill.  But a solid, local meal of comfort food.  My favorite kind of food - what the locals eat.  I'd asked the hotel's front desk clerk to send me somewhere casual for the kind of food her mother or grandmother would cook for her.  I wanted simple, local cuisine.  This did not disappoint.  The great news, is this place is open 24 hours a day, so I'll try to get back there for a snack (I didn't have any of the baked goods today) before I head out of town.  Here is a link to the diner's page in case any of you want to check it out:  Bella Paulista.

Dragon Hill - or - "The Naked Spa"

I'll start this by explaining that I love Korean spas.  There is a local Korean spa in the Atlanta area (we have about 80,000 Koreans living in Duluth, a suburb of Atlanta very near my house) called Jeju Sauna.  I've been to this spa several times with a friend, and thus, had some idea of what to expect.

Or so I thought.

For the uninitiated, Korean spas take relaxation very seriously.  For our adventure, we went to Dragon Hill Spa.

Upon arrival to the spa, guests are checked in and given a pair of scrubs and a wristband.  The wristband contains the key to your locker, as well as a magnetic swipe thing that is used to pay for all your services inside the spa.  When you check out, your tab is calculated and you pay.

Once you have your things, you go into the spa, take off your shoes and clothes (ALL of them) and put your scrubs on.  Everyone is wearing the same standard issued scrubs.  Saunas and hot tubs are included in the entrance fee to the spa.  (The entrance fee is quite low - about $25 in the US, and about $12 in Korea; this fee allows you to use the facilities for a 24 hour period (though there are no exit/entry privileges).

The saunas a co-ed, and built like igloos within the spa.  Each one is lined with a different mineral that is supposed to have different healing properties:  jade sauna, amethyst sauna, charcoal sauna, ice sauna, etc.  As you walk from sauna to sauna you cannot help but notice that you are walking across heated floors, that are covered in sleeping patrons.

The hot tubs are single sex, and in different parts of the spa.  These are naked.  Yes.  Naked.  You must disrobe and shower prior to entering the hot tubs.  There are multiple hot tubs each one labeled with a digital thermometer above it so that you can try out the hot tubs that are kept at varying temperatures.  They are incredible relaxing.

It is worth noting at this point that going to the Korean spa is really best done a a group experience.  It is a time for conversation, and relaxation.  For catching up with friends.  It is clear from my visits to the Korean spas, both in Atlanta and Seoul, that this is part of a regular ritual for friends of many years - and I can understand why!

After the hot tub, my friend and I decided to get the body scrub.  Basically, there is a line of tables (reminiscent of cadaver tables) and you lay down on one, naked.  Then a Korean woman (they are always old women) comes out - their uniform is black lacy bras and panties.  (No, I don't know why).  They wear exfoliating mits, and scrub down every inch of your body from head to toe to relieve you of any dead skin that may have been lurking.  It doesn't hurt, but I wouldn't exactly call it relaxing.  But, afterwards... Oh, afterwards, your skin is the softest thing ever.  I would venture to say even softer than a baby's butt (I'm confident in this because a 6 month old baby's butt was waiting to greet me when I returned to the states).  It is magical.

The spa also has sleeping rooms, a restaurant with light but typical Korean fare, a gym to exercise (but, why?), and many more features.  I'm a fan.

I have vowed to add this to my list of regular haunts anytime I'm in Korea.

And as a funny post-script, as I told my husband about this experience, he suggested I watch a tv program he'd seen recently.  It features George Foreman, William Shatner, Henry Winkler, and Terry Bradshaw visiting foreign countries and generally making fools of themselves.  Of course, in Korea, they went to a Korean spa.  As we watched the show, it was apparent to me that they went to MY Korean spa.  A link to this episode is available here.  At least for now.

Jonny Dumpling - the best Chinese food in Seoul!

I've now travelled to Seoul enough that I have some favorite spots - places I always return to during my visits.

One is an optical shop.  I get great prescription glasses there (the Rx is taken from my US-made glasses) at an incredible price - and same day, delivered to my hotel the evening I place the order. My optical shop of choice is called Italy Optical in Itaewon, if you are heading to Seoul and want to check it out...

Another must do (or must eat?) is Jonny Dumplings, in Itaewon.  Oh, Jonny's.  It was profiled in Time Out Seoul! (Time Out Seoul Review).  It is tiny, always packed (prepare to wait for a table), no-frills, cheap, and delicious.  Here is a picture of what we ordered (you'll note that we polished off half the meal before we remembered to take a picture - it was just that good.  Ooops!)

And, of course, a fine look of satisfaction for both myself, and my friend Jon, who happily delighted in sharing this treasure of ours...

I did make one other incredible discovery during this visit to Seoul, but that will be saved for another post...  

Stay tuned for "The Naked Spa!"

Korean Kakagori

They don't call it kakagori in Korea (though they do in Japan, where I was first introduced to this treat), but they sure do know how to prepare and serve it.

Kakagori.  Or finely shaved ice, with a flavor shot poured over it, and as an extra treat a bit of sweet and condensed milk.  In Korea, I stopped a little local spot called Beans and Berries at the train station on my way from Seoul to Pohang with a colleague.  For a light snack, we thought.

Oh no.  It was far more than that.  And far better.  She had a mango kakagori, and I had a berry kakagori.  They were enormous.  Shaved ice, with sweet and condensed milk, but also with fresh fruit, and a small scoop of incredibly rich vanilla ice cream on top.  Truly a treat :)

I will have to keep an eye out for this place while in Seoul.  Its great (all I have to do is find one near my favorite hotel, and beyond the train station so I can have regular visits...)

Doesn't that look amazing?  It WAS amazing.  And of course, because that is good, but perhaps not so adventurous, I leave you with this advertisement from the Korean Baskin Robbins.  For Cafe Bris.  Um, thanks, but no thanks.

Back from the dead...

It is well past time to revive this blog.  I don't have any sense of if anyone will ever read this or not - but I so enjoy exploring the world through my stomach, and I'm lucky enough to have international travel as a component of my job (still, though this is nearly 5 years after I began this blog), that this seems like a great way to capture my memories for posterity.  And hey, if someone else finds enjoyment or amusement here, then all the better...

So, with that... I'M BACK!