Swimming, Sweating, and Singing

Miami, Florida
September 20, 2014

During a dark bike ride of South Beach early Thursday morning, Kelly informed me that her swim team needed an extra member for their relay race this weekend—the Alligator Lighthouse Swim. This is an 8 mile swim with a team of 4 people—while one person is swimming, the other 3 people are kayaking alongside the swimmer to help guide him/her.  A couple of hours later, I was a confirmed team member and trying to hold down anxiety about the big race. We woke up early Saturday morning in Islamorada (in the northern Keys of Florida) and headed to the beach to prepare for the race. At 8:37, my team was off. About six and a half hours later, we returned to shore with our bodies depleted of food and water but with an abundance of sunburns and jellyfish stings. We all slept well that night!

photo credit: The Standard, Miami

Sunday morning, we woke up early to drive back to Miami. The Standard Spa was hosting its third Yoga Fest. We were in Downward Dog by 11am, bodies covered in aloe and sunscreen, listening to the yoga chants and breathing in the positive vibes. It was a day of peace, pondering, and positive vibes. The bike ride home was so energetic! A few good takeaways from this day: (1) Fill your life with the good stuff so there is little room for the bad. (2) Nobody cares what you do, they care about how you make them feel.

Peace.Love.Sunshine

Mole in Mexico

Cancun, Mexico

September 12, 2014

Well, you could say my trip started weeks ago when I went to a Mexican restaurant for lunch with some co-workers. In the battle to find a vegan mean in this place of non-customizable burritos, the lady offered me ‘mole and rice’. Mole (“mole-ay”) is a savory chocolate sauce that ended up being absolutely delicious and sadly disappeared off my plate before I wanted the experience to end!

  Fast forward a couple of weeks and I knew the goal of my trip once Cancun was the decided destination for the weekend—to find real mole in Mexico. We arrived Saturday morning to be greeted by the bright sun and swarms of taxi drivers insisting we ride with them. We eventually landed in Mercado 28 (the internet resources said this would be a cool spot). Well, the internet resources also said that it was a bit too touristy. I’d have to agree. Thirty minutes (and a couple of pesos) later, we found ourselves in Mercado 23 walking through the market allies lined with raw fish, meats, and sugary treats. Magic happened within twenty minutes… we were sitting at a table in the market with a six pesos feast—chips, soup, rice, plantains, more rice, beans, tortilla, chicken, mole, two juices, and a sweet purple water juice. Let’s just say that I was more than satisfied!

The rest of the trip involved bus rides around the tourist zone, an evening trip to the touristy bars, a late night meal of rice beans & mole, and morning relaxation on the beach. 

MachuPicchu, Markets, and more!

September 2, 2014

Cusco, Peru

Friday afternoon, we boarded the plane still swimming in sweat from florida's hot hot day. Five hours later, we arrived in the land of ceviche and crazy drivers (lima, peru). At 6:30am, we boarded another plane to cusco -- the land of the former Inca empire and a growing international tourist destination. By noon, we were in a car heading north. We drove up hills and down valleys, through small forests and sacred spots, past farmed lands and llamas, and around mountains jutting with rocks. The sky couldn't have been any more blue, the grass couldn't have been any  more green, the dirt couldn't have been any more brilliantly bright brown.

 

Sacred Valley (Peru)

Old agricultural plots

Lunch Happened in Pisac in a deep hole-in-the-wall eatery with a clay oven burning wood (empanadas, salad, tea, beer). The peaceful atmosphere gladly welcomed my buzz from the local black lager. (My body definitely felt the change on altitude!)

Yes, lambs are a sneaky tourist trap.... but they're cute!

Clay oven that I'll build in my own kitchen one day

The next major stop had a train station to transport tourists closer to machu picchu. This town is constructed out of stone (from roads to walls) and has gutters in the middle of the roads

tea break!

Getting of the train in Aguas Calientes was not unlike an ant farm after being stepped on by a pesky kid. People were running everywhere, guides shouting the names of their gringo clients with accents that change an ordinary name into art. The rush of water flowing down the mountain killed any possibility for silence. We found a hostel to sleep. Four hours later, we packed a day bag to go explore Machu Picchu. People line up looking like they just crawled out of a backpacking magazine to get on the first 6am bus probably around 4 or 4:30 am. Ladies sell coffee and bananas on the side of the road to people waiting in line. By 6:30 we climbed off the bus to climb a bit higher and explore Machu Picchu. It took 4 hrs to explore the area, but we could have spent 6 or 7 to do a more thorough job and to appreciate every crevice. I was pleased, though. The site is so large and the altitude is so demanding on the body that a return trip another time in life will suffice.

sunrise at MachuPicchu

Post-exploration, we visited the hot springs in town. The pool of water wasn't as hot as I predicted, but warm relaxing water never seems to hurt. Post-hot springs, we managed to find the market in town (thanks to insider information). The second floor had all the lunch options-- 4 soles ($1.90 usd) a person for a bowl of barley soup, a plate of rice, fried trout, and a cup of wheat tea. This was one of the most amazing meals I've had!
We landed in cusco Sunday night. Immediately after getting off the bus, a plaza magically greeted us with people scattered around shouting what food they had to offer. 2.50 soles ($0.88 usd) for a plate of sautéed rice, noodles, potato, tomato and beef with a fried egg on top. (No, I passed on the beef and half the egg). The meal continued with ----/ a jelly-like pudding that goes with rice pudding.... And then we found a juice place where I got to try a smoothie of ------ and ---...(oops... i need to figure out the Spanish names!)

The following day, we passed by a famous stone in the wall-- The Twelve Angle Stone.

The Twelve Angle Stone

I refused to stop eating for a picture :-/

We walked around for a bit and explored the market San Pedro. Isles and isles of inexpensive chia and quinoa and imperfect fruits and veggies and large wheels of fresh bread and bags of local coffee and cacao beans.... Isles of goodies-- kitchen utensils, good luck ornaments, gifts... Isles of food stands with little stools to sit on for a cheap 2 course lunch..... Isles with laughing ladies sitting by their sacs overflowing with dried beans and colorful corn and flours. Ahh, the market. I sat on a crowded bench for a 4 soles lunch of soup and fish and rice and lentils. I don't know what kind of fish it was (trout costed 15 soles this time) but it came from some river nearby, Besides the time and expenses to get to this marketplaces, who would ever imagine that such happiness could cost so little.

Cuban, Coconuts, and Coral

Photo credit: foodgps.com

16 August 2014

Well, rather than fly across the country, we decided to explore within the city limits. This weekend demanded some solid veg time. Saturday afternoon got kicked off with a drink that punches you in the jaw—tamarind juice from El Palacio de los Jugos (a Cuban place that resembles a mini-mini market in the middle of the city). 

You can choose from the wall of 15 different juices, the baskets of tropical fruits and vegetables, the shelves of Cuban treats (all different combinations of flour, sugar, and nuts), the trays of meat meat and more meat, the dishes of fish, freshly brewed café, and Cuban sandwiches. Then, to a nice surprise, you can buy fresh coconuts or bottles of freshly poured coconut water!! Needless to say, it was a nice cultural experience for my eyes. If I ever start eating pork or lard again in life, I’ll try returning to try the foods. 

In the evening, we ended up in Key Largo on a sunset boat ride. I’m going to assume that most boat rides are similar to the one we went on—booze, island music, conch-shell blowing contests, and those sad children in the corner who were dragged on by their parents and have too much energy to burn to enjoy the relaxing sunset and soft weather. We live in a paradise!  

17 August 2014

With freshly cut pineapple in hand and the lingering coconut water in the jug, we headed back south to try snorkeling. Lucky lucky dogs--- two days of great weather!! We took the noon boat ride an hour out from shore to a reef. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is one of the coolest state parks in the US (and we live just 90 minutes away)!! 

I saw some cool fish, barracudas, jelly fish, and a sting ray. No sharks this weekend. I don’t have a waterproof camera yet (nor do I have a diving certification), but my memory and simple snorkeling ventures are doing just fine for now. 

Book of the week