BozAround


The 'around the world' tag

 

Always one step ahead

Stokke, the Norwegian design firm of the iconic Tripp Trapp high chair is always one step ahead. Here comes the PramPack bag to fit 99% of the strollers in the market, and many twin strollers too. It’s airline approved, and will make it gentle on your $$$ uber-cool stroller. If you’re the gadget type, then this one is for you. As seen in Milk magazine.

 

Ps: But if you ask me….we just travel with our good old Quest from Maclaren. It’s been around the world with us, a few bumps here and there but still strolling and folding like an umbrella.

in Singapore….                       In Sydney….                             In Chile…



 
 

travellers’ communities

There are more and more resources on the web to find accomodations away from the classic hotel rooms. And it’s making the idea of travelling all the more exciting. In a post last year titled My house is yours. Your house is mine. I talked about some smart home swapping websites.

The following two online platforms revolve around the idea of creating communities of like-minded & free-spirited travellers who are looking for budget accommodations when travelling around. They’re not exactly geared to the travelling family with young children, but I am sure that they’ll get there eventually. Or other sites will.

Airbnb – With over 60,000 active listings in 12,663 cities in 181 countries, Airbnb is an amazing resource AND a real pleasure to browse. It connects owners of (short term) apartment or home rentals with travellers (and it’s backed by supersexy Ashton Kutcher himself). The site is nicely designed and gives the possibility to take a peak at people’s homes from close ups. It’s mostly studios and small apartments in the database, but it could work well for young families. There’s a rating system just like on TripAdvisor, so you know what others in the community have experienced. I tried with Istanbul and Sydney and found the choice of places and locations quite exciting.

Couch surfing – This is a non profit organization that connects travellers with…couches and cultural experiences ie. places to stay for free at people’s homes with the view of sharing a piece of life: We have a vision of a world where everyone can explore and create meaningful connections with the people and places they encounter. It’s extremely successful with the younger crowd, and our summer au pair has been finding free accommodations all over the world thanks to Couch surfing. I was amazed when I heard about it and I secretly wished it existed when I was backpacking and internet barely existed (how prehistoric does that sound). Well, if I am not going to sleep on someone’s couch anymore, maybe we can lend ours once in a while and see who’s coming for dinner. The children might like that..

…to be continued



 
 

BozAroundTheWorld – the end

We are finishing our Round the World today. Last stop, Rio de Janeiro. Right where we started, five months ago.

As I write this last post before we head back to London, I am reminded of these buddhist words of wisdom, which I quoted when we were in Burma early January.

What life on earth is…

A falling star, a bubble in a stream.

A flame in the wind. Frost in the sun.

A flash of lightning in a summer cloud.

A phantom in a dream.

 

I hope you enjoyed travelling with us on this beautiful adventure. Please don’t hold it against me if I don’t post for a little while now. I am going to have to find my raison d’être again…

Beijos from Rio, with lots of Saudade

Saturday April 23rd, 2011



 
 

Where Nature is stronger than Man

As in Up (a favorite DVD night during our round the world), we followed Mr Fredricksen’s dream of seeing the largest waterfalls in South America and headed to Iguazu falls. Impressive..really. Nature is stronger than Man (i hope)

As the falls lie exactly at the border between Argentina and Brazil, you could choose to be based in either country, I don’t think it would make much of a difference. We chose the Brazilian side. However, for the visits, I do think it’s worth seeing the falls from both sides and spending at least 2 nights, maybe 3 to allow plenty of time.

The Argentine and Brazilian side differ quite a bit. You have a more panoramic view from the Brazilian side, but the trail there is rather short (about 1.5km) and can easily be done in half a day. On the Argentine side, you really need a full day. And then there are plenty of outdoor activities to take with the children if they are old enough for the adrenalin rush (rafting, boat trip to the falls, 4Wd in the jungle..)

Be prepared to be surrounded by tourists as there’s no way to avoid it unfortunately. The Brazilian side felt a bit calmer and the paths were all shaded by the trees.

To plan your stay, here are some BozAround tips…

- In the Argentina side, you travel for a while with a little train (not as fun as it sounds), and you have 3 main trails: the Devil’s throat (must-see), the Upper circuit (for good close ups from above) and the Lower circuit (for close ups from below). In the Inferior trail, you will get wet for sure, and beware that there are lots of stairs, making it rather tricky if you use a stroller. All together, it’s about 6km of trails on the Argentinian side.

- In the Brazilian side, you can take an excursion called Macuco Boat Safari, which I was dying to do, but Marcelo and Amalya would have been too scared (I don’t think I would do it with children less than 10 years old although there is no age limit). You take a boat trip all the way to the falls, super close up, and come back. It last 35min and the boat takes you and brings you back to the shore. Sounds fun.

- You can do a similar high-adrenalin boat trip on the Argentinian side but there, the boat takes you close to the falls and leaves you on a trail where there is then the long walk.

- There are additional ecological trails offered on either side going in the forest, they can be booked the same day. We did not have time to do those and I regretted. The thick jungle is beautiful, and there are tons of birds species.

- The helicopter ride above the falls is pricey, but quite worth it. You can only do it the Brazilian side as Argentina does not do it for ecological reasons (although the verdict is out there on the real impact). It’s US$100 per person, but young children won’t pay (Marcelo,5, and Amalya,2, sat on our laps and it was fine). You can’t book it in advance. Just show up at the helicopter pad before the entrance of the national park, between 9am and 5pm.

- We found a really nice taxi driver at the Argentine airport, and agreed on a deal for the next day to take us back and forth from Argentina and Brazil. Pablo Barreto Tel: 03757-15416047 / Cel: 054-3757-15540089 or pablinbarreto@hotmail.com.

Feeling like Mr Fredricksen from the helicopter ride…Up, Up, Up

Ps: Do not forget your passports when you go from Brazil to Argentina to visit the falls, and vice versa!



 
 

After thoughts from visiting the Recoleta cemetery

I was debating for a little while whether to keep these words below for myself, but in the end, I find them so touching and expressive of what a 5-year old might think of after-life that I decided to share them with you.

We visited the famous and worthwhile seeing Recoleta cemetery in Buenos Aires. It was Marcelo’s first time ever visit to a cemetery and as you might be aware with your own children, 5-year old is the age of quite a few metaphysic questions. As we are a bit of a hybrid family when it comes to religion, I had never really talked about death & after-life with Marcelo…This visit brought a lot of questions and an open discussion, which I think was a healthy way to talk about a rather difficult subject.

 

This is what Marcelo told me that night, before going to sleep:

Maman, you know what…

When there will only be your bones,

I will re-build you, and I will hold your hand,

And I will cuddle with you.

I will never bury you.

I will put you in my bedroom in your box, and I will sleep next to you.

 

Wishing you a Happy Easter or Happy Passover in case you celebrate them this week end.



 
 

The Best of Buenos Aires with Los Niños

We came back to Buenos Aires after Mendoza, and all together have spent more than a week in the city. While I would not call BA a very family-friendly city, because it’s noisy and polluted, huge with lots of traffic, there are pleasant activities and itineraries to take with the children. What I found most fascinating in BA is the mix of old and new. A very unique city with lots of different parts of town to explore by foot.

On our 2nd stay, we rented one of the loft-apartment of Home Hotel. It’s an excellent place to stay with the family. You get the best of both worlds: an apartment with a kitchen and a small courtyard, very private, quiet and spacious, and you get all the great services of the hotel, swimming pool and staff help. It’s located in Palermo Hollywood, my favorite part of town in BA with San Telmos.
Here is Home Hotel’ Best of Buenos Aires with Kids, all tried and tested (almost!).
Buenos Aires Zoo, opened in 1988, with a surprisingly great diversity of animals. As per Marcelo: Better than Regent’s Park Zoo in London! People who live nearby complain they hear the lions roaring all the time. i think it’s a good sign. Right in the center of the city, in Palermo, Av. Sarmiento y Las Heras. Closed Mondays.
And right outside, you will see horse carriages…Marcelo and Amalya loved taking a stroll the old fashion way.
Interactive Science Museum (Forbidden NOT to touch). This is a super interactive science museum and Marcelo absolutely loved the place… while I got super stressed about not figuring out most of the experiments!!! It reminded me how bad I was at school with physics.
The museum is right in Recoleta by the famous Cemetery (a great place to visit too). It makes for a pleasant half day trip, to be followed by a mouth-watering and inexpensive lunch of empanadas at El Sanjuanino.
Botanical Gardens: designed by French landscape architect Carlos Thays in 1998. It’s in Palermo and there is also a lovely playground right beside it.
Parque Tres de Febrero: it’s Buenos Aires version of Hyde Park, or Central Park. In the middle lies a large pond with ducks, geese where boats can be rented, there are also bicycle rentals with a paved cycle around the lake. Rosedal, Parque 3 de Febrero in Palermo, very near the Botanical gardens.
Planetarium: There are telescope observing sessions several times a week, as well as sun sessions.
Museo Argentino del Titere (Puppet Museum): shows are held regularly.Puppets of all kinds, wooden, made of foam and rubber, articulated, made of papier mache, tango singers…It’s in the area of San Telmo (Piedras 905. Tel: 4307-6917 / 4304-4376)

In addition to the above children-centric places, these are some of BozAround favorites, equally easy on the children.

- A Sunday stroll in San Telmo…

Every Sunday, there’s the flea market of San Telmo. It’s not over crowded but beware of pickpockets. Enjoy a cheap and yummy lunch of empanadas (sooooo good) or pizza & pasta at Pedro Telmo (Bolivar, 962. Tel: 43 62 36 94), and stroll around with a few pesos in the pocket, to give away to the many street performers.

Marcelo found some super heroes comics at the market…

- A morning spent at La Boca…

La Boca is the notoriously dodgy yet most touristy part of the city, because of the very photogenic colourful streets (do NOT got there after dark!!). We went quite early in the morning and as such avoided the tourist buses. Loved it!! The atmosphere is very old-school, yet one of the most exciting art foundation in the city is there, PROA, with a Louise Bourgeois exhibition going on right now (and her famous spider which any child will be amazed at).

Marcelo and Ceki also visited the football stadium of Boca Junior, and we all met for a delicious Italian lunch at Il Matterello (MArtin Rodriguez, 517), an institution in the city.

In La Boca, I stumbled upon this store, owned by a very elegant Spanish-immigrant woman of 86 years old.

Beautiful vintage dresses and many other nostalgic objects. I don’t have the address but if you walk around, you might recognize it. She has had her shop for 25 years. She was so sweet, with such a gentle smile. I barely had any change on me, otherwise I could have bought so much. I left with a vintage silk dress, off-white, which I told myself Amalya might want one day (for her wedding?!)

- An afternoon in Palermo…

…Visiting the MALBA museum and its impressive collection of LAtin American contemporary art in a stunning modern construction. Nearby by is Persicco, for one of the best ice cream in town (remember, most of Argentines are of Italian-descent)..And not far is Plaza Alemana with a good playground. A great place to mingle with local children in their school uniforms at the end of the day.

You’ll find lots of guides about Buenos Aires so I won’t say much more about where to eat & shop…Just one address that I fell in love with: DIVIA. If you’re going to bring back one thing for yourself from Argentina, it’s shoes. And these ones are so beautiful and so unique.

 



 
 

Wine tasting in Mendoza, Argentina. Children not permitted.

We toured the wine region of Mendoza for 3 days, leaving the kids behind in Buenos Aires under the loving care of nonna. ¡Salud!

Mendoza is the 4th largest city in Argentina, and its wines are exported all over the world, especially the Malbec, which I am a big fan of. Actually Mendoza is about a 7 hours drive from Santiago De Chile crossing over the Andes and it’s supposed to be an incredibly scenic road. That would be a nice way to get there. We flew from BA, a 1h30 easy flight from the domestic airport right downtown BA.

We made our itinerary over 3 days: 2 nights in Mendoza city & 1 night in the country side in beautiful Valle del Uco (90min from the city). I think it was the right amount of time. Actually, after 4 winery visits the first day starting at 10am with our first tasting, I was ready to go on a detox…a result of five months going around the world and living healthily.

I enjoyed these 3 days for 3 reasons:

- Great wines

- Great architecture

- Great scenery

The two main wine producing areas around Mendoza are: Lujan de Cuyo outside the city, and the Uco Valley a bit further. It’s nice to spend at least one day in the first, and one day in the 2nd.

To visit Lujan de Cuyo, we based ourselves at a homey and welcoming b&b in downtown Mendoza called Casa Lila, simple and no fuss, wonderful hosts willing to help every bits. For dinner in town, everyone raves about 1884, a restaurant by the famous Argentine chef Francis Mallman, but I think it lives on its reputation. Azafran is a better option, relaxed on the sidewalks of Mendoza.

To visit the Uco Valley, we stayed at the posada of the Salentein winery, which is definitely not worth recommending.  There is apparently a wonderful relais&chateau called Cavas Wine Lodge, for pampering times. Or there are several wineries with rooms in the region. Watch out for Bodega Atemisque when it opens its posada. I think it will be beautiful because their winery is stunning, and beautifully located too.

Everyone advises to take a driver/guide when going wine tasting in the region. And I confirm it! Not only the wineries are not always easy to find, but they also often require appointments for visits…And if you plan 4 winery visits in a day like most people do, that’s on average 3 to 4 tastings per winery..I let you do the math for the don’t drink&drive formula. Our driver/guide was good, not the most chatty and willing to get out of his way type of person but he did put together a good itinerary: Javier on javiereppens@yahoo.com.ar

In Lujan de Cuyo, our favorite wineries are:

Achaval Ferrer. A smaller winery, only 5 years old, with 2 particularly good wines tasted: the Finca Mirador, and a dolce Malbec which I loved and can only be purchased at the winery.

Carmelo Patti. A one-man show (photo below, at his winery). A legend in Mendoza! He is what they call a garagista, ie a winemaker who does it all in their garage so to speak. And he has been doing some of the best wines in the region for close to 40 years, all by himself. He talked passionately about his wines and wines in general (in Spanish) and made a great impression on us. We were pleased to leave with an autographed bottle from Mr Carmelo Patti…

We enjoyed a five-course lunch at Bodega Vistalba, at their restaurant La Bourgogne. They also have 2 rooms in b&b inside the winery supposed to be nice. It’s pleasant to face the vineyards for lunch, and the food was good paired with good wines, but nothing to go home crazy about (so says the little Frenchie..)

Everyone recommends to visit Catena Zapata winery, maybe because it’s one of the biggest. I did not like it. The place is pompous and very touristy. The architecture is a strange and rather tasteless Mayan-style pyramide. But they did have a very good Angelica Zapata Malbec…

this is Carmelo Patti and his very old -school winery:

In Valle del Uco, our favorite wineries are:

Pulenta Estate. Super high-tech and stunning architecture, especially the cellar room. It’s a relatively young winery, like many in Mendoza, which says a lot about the dynamism in the region. They had a Gran Corte, a blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

Atamisque. So beautiful! Such delicious wines! And no, I am not biased by the fact that the owner is French. The architecture, first, is stunning and so understated. Minimalist yet perfectly blending with the surrounding environment. From local architects Bormida y Yanzon who actually did most of the beautiful wineries in the region (see Pulenta Estate too). The Catalpa Malbec, and the Atamisque Malbec were particularly delicious. There is also a restaurant on the property where the specialty is trout as they have a trout farming. And soon a pousada…

Bodega Salentein. Another impressive architecture, very grand this time yet done by the same local architects Bormida y Yanzon. Salentein is completely geared to the visiting wine aficionado. There is a home theater showing the whole process of wine making, an in-house art gallery with Latin American artists featured. A very pleasant cafe/restaurant for lunch…Their Numina Malbec, and Primus Malbec are delicious.

Don’t waste time at the winery Andeluna in the same region. Very unpleasant staff, and the place looks like a mock-up of a provencale house. Out of place..

this is Bodega Atemisque:

this is Bodega Salentein:

BozAround tip: at Bodega Salentein, you will find cardboard boxes in their shop for 3, 6 or 12 bottles with a hard foam inside specially made to check it in the plane. And some smart bubble wrap for individual bottles, resealable. Very convenient after 3 days of wine tasting delicious Malbecs…



 
 

Maradona Siempre

We’re back in Argentina, the land of Maradona and Evita Peron…

Believe it or not, Buenos Aires is a major city for graffiti culture. There’s even a company called GraffitiMundo organizing tours and promoting street art. We all loved this one, found in the neighborhood of La Boca

 



 
 

Stopping at Jose Ignacio, Uruguay for beach time.

I am experimenting posting from my iPad…sorry if it doesnt come out all nice and clean. I lost ONCE AGAIN something somewhere!! This time, it’s the plug of my computer, which is now out of battery. This is the most frustrating part of our round the world, we can’t help forgetting things in places, and usually in places that we loved. Hope its a sign that we’ll be back. One day I will make an inventory…
So while my plug stayed in Jose Ignacio, Uruguay, I can still tell you what we LOVED about the place. First, the lighthouse (photo above), which makes this  -originally fisherman’s – village so iconic. The light also, so clean and pure, the sky with stars, so big. And the people in Uruguay everywhere so gentle and kind. Such gentlemen and handsome too..! I’d say, a mix of the roughness of the gauchos with the classiness of the polo players. The waves, big and still warm. The quietness as we got there at the end of the season (apparently January is to be avoided, a Latin American version of St Tropez…). I would say it’s understated luxury at its best. And off season, the prices are not so bad, and all negotiable.
I was inspired to visit Uruguay by an article last year in Conde Nast Traveller titled Barefoot on the Beach, from journalist Peter Browne. Since I don’t know how to put hyperlinks on my iPad, I will let you google it.
With plenty of time, the way to “do” the uruguayan coast is from Carmelo, then Colonia del Sacramento, then Montevideo, then la Barra and Jose Ignacio, la Paloma, la Pedrera, and finish in unspoilt Cabo Polonio towards the Brazilian border.

We focused on Jose Ignacio because it’s a quaint little village on the beach extremely child friendly as everything is walking distance. We rented a beautiful and colourful house (on the photo above, the green house) through Marcelo (!) at Inmobiliaria Ruibal, who was so dedicated to helping us. Gracias Marcelo.
Really, it’s so hard posting with my iPad, I will do this post with photos mostly. Do ask me if you ever plan on visiting the region, it is so beautiful and tasteful at the same time. I could say so much more if only I had my computer…
We stopped at CasaPueblo, an iconic hotel before Punta del Este, designed by the Uruguayan artist Carlos Paez Vilaro. Below is his studio, overlooking the Atlantic. I wish it was my office too…There is a museum with a permanent retrospective of the artist’ works, and a small cafe on the terrace with a marvelous view. Maravillosa!
It’s also nice to take the children to the sculpture park foundation of Pablo Atchugarry, right on Ruta 104km 4,500, in Manatiales. And there’s a cute little zoo right nearby, with a tiger. Marcelo was reminded of his cuddling times with tigers in Thailand.
The region is strong on art, with a lot of very interesting artists from South America. There was an article in the NY Times magazine recently specifically about it, to be googled…
In the morning, we were getting our fish ultra fresh directly on the beach of Jose Ignacio (Playa Mansa) from the fishermen’s boat. I was proud of my ceviche…
And the region is strong on architect-houses, many out of the most beautiful magazines in the world. Wealthy argentines, mostly, who come here in the season or the week end to get some beach time. Playa Vik is an incredible example (like it or not) of Titanium and Glass. It’s a hotel which opened last year and designed by Uruguayan architect Carlos Ott. Artists from all over South America have been commissioned for each room. Quite surprising in this little village.
The beach house above was my favourite in the village, and also one of the oldest, designed by a well known Uruguayan architect whom I forgot the name..I know. Sorry..
This one below was very shabby-chic, looked like the first strong wind was going to blow it up, yet still standing proud on the beach. Sweet.
And long lunches of grilled fish at La Huella, children playing in the sand. A restaurant so delicious that people drive from all over the coast to come over the week end. Right there in Jose Ignacio. And Pisco Sour to die for, just before la siesta for everyone…
Plenty of activities for the family. Surfing on the beach of Playa Brava, waves were not that intimidating. Or horseback riding barefoot on the beach, with the horses of Jorge aka El Negrito who comes in front of La Huella with his 4 horses every afternoon.
We actually learnt to kite surf (sort of !!) at Laura Monino Kite surf / windsurf school. The best!! On Laguna Garzon, a beautiful eco-reserve, with shallow depth and constant wind, ideal conditions. Laura is so kind too, and owns a charming pousada near by, Halelau, that would be a great option with the family.
Hola chicos. Que tal. Que lindo..
BozAround tips:
- Rent a car with Interautos. They’ll come meet you straight at the arrival or departure terminal of Montevideo airport. And their prices are unbeatable. Speak with Gustavo (interautos@adinet.com.uy)
- Come here off-season to avoid the show-off factor. And bypass Punta del Este, a LatAm version of South Beach Miami. They say it’s coming back, but I am allergic to this kind of big developments on the beach.
- Make time to go up the coast all the way to Cabo Polonio. It sounds amazing. I am sad we could not go. No electricity, no cars, sand dunes only. And a few posadas.
- Pick up a map of Jose Ignacio at the tiny tourist information on the main square, It has everything you need.
- Posada del Faro has one of the best reputation in the village of Jose ignacio. And Casa Chic looked…quite chic and ideally located near the beach inside the village, with a small kitchen and separate bedroom for the family. Or Posada Halelau outside town for a more affordable option.
Ps: by the time i finished writing this article, i found my plug!!! youpi! so i put in some links..but i did not re-write everything..sorry if it’s a bit decousu…besos.


 
 

Retro times in Colonia, Uruguay: a perfect day trip from Buenos Aires

I like Buenos Aires, but I did not remember how busy, dusty and noisy it is. It must be that 10 years ago when I first visited, I did not have children. I liked going out til late in the night, and you don’t see things the same way at 20 than at 30 (ok, 28 and 38). People go out for diner at 10pm here, not so feasible with little ones! Or maybe it’s just an urban allergy that I have developed after all those empty lands that we have been through in Patagonia.

So it was a pleasant breath of fresh air to cross the Rio de la Plata and go visit the colonial town of Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay. Its historic part (dates back to 1680) is a Unesco World Heritage site.

I think this photo epitomizes Colonia: retro, colourful houses, bougainvilleas everywhere, paved roads, relaxed cafes. Only the view on Rio de la Plata is missing from the photo. And my Marcelito is not normally part of the decor.

How to get there / Where to stay:

Colonia del Sacramento is a smooth boat trip from downtown Buenos Aires, making for an easy day trip. Prefer the express buquebus 1h ride, and know that it’s best to book the tickets a few days in advance for a good fare. I think it’d be sweet to spend the night there in one of the many posadas as many places open only at night. El Capullo seemed particularly inviting. Posada del Angel is another recommended address.

Things to do with the chicos in Colonia:

Walk around and get lost (not for long as it’s tiny!) in the cobbled stone streets. Go up the faro aka lighthouse (children under 12 can’t). Rent a buggy (pricey! but it’s like everything else in Colonia, beware) and drive around to the beach. Eat ice cream al dulce de leche. Enjoy tea time with cake al dulce de leche. Eat pure dulce de leche and watch the children go crazy from the sugar overload!!

Have a long lunch in the courtyard of La Florida, the chef Carlos Bidanchon is a slow-food adherent and a great character himself. Or El Rincon for a simple parilla in a beautiful location right on the river. And for tea-time, the best-kept secret of Colonia is Lentas Maravillas on Santa Rita, 61. Loved it.

So we’ve crossed the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires to Colonia, and have therefore crossed a border this time by boat. Something that Marcelo found particularly fun…

We marveled at the architecture in Colonia, a mix of colonial colourful houses, and here and there some modernist constructions, such as this cafe (above, right) with a cactus garden overlooking the river…

More on Uruguay soon as we’re discovering this rather unvisited tiny little country in South America, squeezed between Argentina and Brazil…

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...