October 2012
1 post
7 tags
Skip the Hotel California.
December 26th, 2011
Today we made the 2-hour trip across the peninsula to Todos los Santos, the folk art hub of the Baja and the location of the Hotel California (made famous by The Eagles). On the drive you gain quite a bit of altitude and the temperature is cooler, but the vegetation is much lusher. The mountainsides are covered in skinny trees that look a bit like eucalyptus and there are a lot...
July 2012
1 post
3 tags
ESPAÑA CAMPEONES!!!!
It’s like Italy wasn’t even there. 4 to 0 and San Iker ascends again!
Felicidades, niños! You pushed through again!
April 2012
3 posts
3 tags
Feliz Navidad
December 24th, 2011
Not much to say about today. El Norte was still blowing as strong as ever so we spent most of the day taking shelter in the house.
We went to Coya for that Christmas buffet thing with John, a city planner from Chilliwack that my parents had met on the beach. He is a super interesting guy and a great storyteller, and all through dinner he regaled us with funny anecdotes...
6 tags
La Paz and goat bones.
December 23rd, 2011
Took another walk in the desert today, it gets hot pretty quick when you’re out of the wind here so it was nice to take off our hoodies and sweat a little. Suspicious vulture activity led us to a field of dessicated goat carcasses—Dad speculated that it was where the local farmers dumped the remnants of animals butchered for food as there were too many of them to have just...
8 tags
Rockin' around the...something something...
December 22nd, 2011
I saw a roadrunner this morning and said “meep meep” to it. I think I might have offended it.
Mom and I went on a jog down the desert road that parallels the beach. We met a nice Californian snowbird named Jo who gave us some tips on what to do on Christmas. According to her, most of the inns around town hold a fiesta of some variety so the best bet is to go party-hopping....
January 2012
2 posts
9 tags
Alfonso Sexy Dance
21st December, 2011.
We drove into La Paz to resupply this morning. We were warned that first impressions of La Paz are often bad: It is ugly, dirty, overcrowded, and packed with huge American superstores. For the most part, this is true. It does have its redeeming qualities; for example an indoor market and cheap prices on tequila and photographic film ($2.00!) at the local Walmart but those...
Just getting settled into school, fear not,...
December 2011
3 posts
10 tags
First Forays into Cardónland
19th December, 2011
Waking up at three o’clock in the morning and stumbling through the dark with minimal bags into a taxi where the driver starts the conversation with “I’m not actually supposed to be driving this van” sounds like the beginning of nefarious shenanigans. Truth is, we were taking the first steps of a fourteen-hour journey to Mexico. Wait, that makes it sound worse…
La Ventana, our...
Due to the internet connection here not really...
Sorry guys, I will keep you updated and hopefully I can have something up soon.
4 tags
Traveling Hat is now on Facebook! →
November 2011
3 posts
4 tags
Twitter account is up!! →
3 tags
Banff Mountain Film Festival
Just got back from the 2011/2012 Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour showing on campus. If you are interested in films about extreme sports and mountain culture, I STRONGLY recommend going to see it. There are some incredible people doing incredible things out there, and the films screened do a damn good job of finding the best and telling their stories. Check out this year’s trailer and...
3 tags
Shameless self-promotion.
SO GUYS, if you like the photos I upload with each of my journal entries, I have started a photo blog for all my best shots from my travels and homeland adventures.
Here it is:
http://www.nowpanicphotography.tumblr.com/
I’d love it if you were to check it out!
September 2011
9 posts
Next stop...possibly Mexico!
EDIT: Mexico is now a definite! I’ll be in a town called La Ventana, right where the blue pointer is.
See you soon!
4 tags
New York Overview
New York is better when it’s not 40 degrees and humid. I would recommend visiting in October or May when you don’t constantly feel like you want to take a shower. That being said, the city has an incredible energy (it takes some getting used to, but it really is great), New Yorkers are so friendly and will chat you up or help you out at any opportunity they get, and you can find some...
7 tags
Forgetfulness, Liberty Island, and Wall Street.
Sept 8
Titi and Tito were at the US Open again today, so mom and I decided to get up early and beat the crowds to the Liberty and Ellis Islands cruise. The crowds were there anyway. I quickly I realized that I HAD FORGOTTEN THE HAT; It was back in the hotel room. So with a heavy heart, I sprinted across Battery Park for the boat.
It is impossible to not look like an idiot while sprinting with a...
4 tags
The words of the Prophets are written on the...
September 7th.
Today Titi and Tito went to the US Open so mom and I headed out on our own into the rain. Huddling under the small umbrella we bought at the electronics/stationery store across from our hotel, we shuffled down the blocks, quickly popping into Tiffany’s on 5th Ave. to glean some warmth and light. We could soon take no more of the rows and rows of overdone sparklies, and...
6 tags
Disappointing Museums...and then the MET again!
Sept 5, 2011 and Sept 6, 2011
Today we got up early to avoid the crowds to get on the Gray Line big bus. We took the uptown loop this time with a guide that seemed very well-versed on different styles of architecture and knew a lot about the history of the landmark buildings. His tour was more worth the $54 price tag. We went through part of Harlem, and I wanted to stop to take some photos of the...
4 tags
I had a session with Freud...
Sept 4 2011
Today was a textbook example of why New Yorkers often complain about humidity. You can feel the sweat pushing itself out of your every pore.
After having breakfast at the Brooklyn Diner (a little pricey, but they make AWESOME polenta and delicious fresh-squeezed orange juice) we headed down to the Gray Line Big Bus stop to catch the Downtown tour. I was recommended the Gray Line...
4 tags
Meatpacking some Highline Greenwich with Chelsea
Sept 3 2011
Today we all woke up nice and late and got breakfast from the grocery store down the street. We then jumped on the subway and rode to Chelsea to check out the market. It’s a good idea in New York to buy a 7-day unlimited Metrocard. Taking a taxi everywhere will not only deplete your wallet but will waste valuable time by sitting in the wall-to-wall traffic that plagues the main...
1 tag
Review: Aguardiente Lider
I crave aguardiente. I love the stuff. It was the first shot I ever took in my life, and ever since I’ve craved the burning anise taste that keeps you warm for 20 minutes after. It basically tastes like ouzo, but a little sweeter and a lot warmer. It’s derived from sugarcane and each Colombian department (region) holds the rights to produce it, so each one tastes a little different. The...
4 tags
I set foot in Minnesota and it was weird
So I just finished my first full day in New York, though I suppose I should describe the getting there part and explain this post’s title. We got up at 5:30am to arrive at our 8:00 flight, almost missed the plane, and had to do a transfer in Minneapolis where it was easily 35 degrees there and everything was moose-themed. We arrived in the Big Apple around 7:30 at night and proceeded to our...
June 2011
2 posts
OH GIRL.
I’m going to New York in September. AW YISS.
Countries I Have Visited
Spain
France
England
Colombia
USA
Costa Rica
Morocco
Mexico
May 2011
1 post
3 tags
Hey there, Tofino.
My grandmother turned 70 at the end of April, so a bunch of my family got together and went to Tofino to celebrate.
For those of you unfamiliar with small towns of the Pacific Northwest, Tofino is located on the windward side of Vancouver Island, the largest of many islands off the coast of British Columbia. It’s about 2.5 or 3 hours drive out of Nanaimo and 5 hours from Victoria.
Tofino...
April 2011
28 posts
1 tag
Languages
English: Native speaker
Spanish: Close to fluency
Japanese: Beginner
Portuguese: Able to decipher
1 tag
Review: Doñarepa Arepa Flour
For those of you who are uneducated in the way of the arepa; it’s basically a thicker, butterier, more delicious tortilla with melted cheese on top or in the middle. The arepa is a staple of Colombian cuisine, known for being easy and cheap to make. They are popular as street food with various toppings, the most common being queso fresco.
Having not had access to this down-home delicacy...
Goin' to Tofino.
Yup. I arrive there on Thursday. Expect entries.
1 tag
11 Road Trips I Want To Take
Across Canada
Down the Bible Belt, back up through the new-age states (U.S.A.)
Down the Eastern Seaboard (U.S.A.)
Desert states (U.S.A.)
Through Washington and Oregon
From London to Glasgow
Across Australia East to West
Down through Argentina to Ushuaia
Through France to southern Spain
Through Northern BC and the Yukon to Alaska
Across Mongolia
2 tags
Remembering: Morocco
Back in grade ten, before Travelinghat was even a twinkle in my eye, I took a trip to southern Spain (Andalucia) with my high school. One of the day trips they planned for us was to hop on the ferry and go across to Tangier, Morocco. It’s only about half an hour by boat, a lovely little ride across the Strait of Gibraltar.
I recently dug out some photos from the trip which I thought I had...
1 tag
Fifteen Cities I Would Never Move To
New York
Baghdad
Philadelphia
Pyongyang
Mexico City
Chechnya
Los Angeles
Bangkok
Johannesburg
Karachi
Detroit
Hong Kong
Caracas
Winnepeg
Mogadishu
1 tag
Review: White Rabbit Creamy Candy
Now, if my friend Nick knew that I had eaten these recently, he would punch me in the face. He says I’m going to die because White Rabbit, one of my favourite Chinese confections, contains trace amounts of—you guessed it—melamine. But for the sake of science/art/the proletariat/whatever, I’ll review it. When you first open the art-deco styled blue-and-red wrapper, the candy seems to be wrapped in...
1 tag
U.S. States I Have Been To
Oregon
Washington
California
Virginia
Maryland
Hawaii
1 tag
Review: Choopan Yogurt Soda
I did not like this soda. At all. I expected it to taste sweeter and milder, like the Japanese ‘Calpis’. Not so. At first it tastes like like sour mineral water, then like yogurt gone bad, and then, as my friend so eloquently put it; “like ass.” He managed to choke down the whole bottle; I couldn’t get past the first sip. It’s offensively salty and sour, tasting exactly like what you’d expect...
2 tags
Island-Hopping in Hawaii
So during spring break 2008, my family and I went to Hawaii, and did us a bit of island-hopping. We went to 3 of the islands: Oahu, Kaua’i, and Hawaii, two of which I had never been to.
We started the trip in Kaua’i, the northernmost and the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. It encompasses roughly 550 square miles and is mostly covered in lush, beautiful jungle. At times, the...
1 tag
How To Say "Cheers!" In 50 Languages
Afrikaans : Gesondheid! : (Ge-sund-hide)
Albanian : Gëzuar! : (Géschuar)
Arabic (Egyptian) : في صحتكم! : (Fee-sa-ha-tak)
Armenian : Armenia : (Gen-ots-it)
Azerbaijani : Afiyët oslun! : (Afeeyet Ohs-lun)
Basque : On egin! : (On egín)
Bosnian : Živjeli! : (Zhee-vi-lee)
Bulgarian : Наздраве! : (NAZ-dra-vey)
...
1 tag
Review: Milca ‘Soda Roja’
First off, I want to express how shockingly crimson this Nicaraguan soda actually is. It looks like something you’d see in a cartoon mad scientist’s lab—some unholy mixture of tiger blood (sorry Charlie Sheen) and that poisonous food dye that the FDA banned years ago. In fact, I’m pretty sure it contains that dye as it turns your tongue bright red in a matter of minutes, but that’s probably what...
weintendtoliveforever-deactivat asked: i'm colombian but i live in florida and I'm glad you liked Taganga :) I like Barranquilla more, you should go to the carnaval in February-March. :)
1 tag
Review: Koala's March
I was recently at a Chinese grocery store and when I saw these, I had a rush of nostalgia—these are the cookies I used to mooch off my Asian friends in the schoolyard when my mom packed me a lame, untradeable ‘healthy’ lunch. Every little adorable cookie was a sweet rush of forbidden, heavily-processed deliciousness.
Moving away from my grade-school days; I haven’t...
1 tag
Cities I Have Been To That I Would Consider Living...
Seattle, Washington
Washington D.C.
Apt, France
Sevilla, Spain
Tangier, Morocco
Hood River, Oregon
Tamarindo, Costa Rica
Raquira, Colombia
2 tags
Oregon is pretty and you should visit it.
My dad is a huge windsurfing enthusiast, and so since I was a kid we have been driving down to Hood River, Oregon almost every summer so he can catch some wind and the rest of us can enjoy a little vacation. We went this summer (2009) with some family friends and my cousin who was visiting from Colombia. I didn’t write any blog entries about it, but here’s a quick review:
Why do I...
1 tag
A Ridiculously Long List Of Places I Want To Visit
Santorini, Greece
Lijiang, China
Ura, Bhutan
Masai Mara, Kenya
Jasper, Alberta
The Higlands, Scotland
Cologne, Germany
Damascus, Syria
Medina, Saudi Arabia
Sammallahdenmäki, Finland
Arenal, Costa Rica
Okavango Delta, Botswana
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Fez, Morocco
Birmingham, Alabama
Zurich, Switzerland
Lyon, France
Berlin, Germany
Patagonia, Argentina
Montenegro
Svalbard,...
1 tag
Review: Colombiana Kola
This is one of the many soda brands in Colombia, and arguably the most famous.
It is a bright, brownish-orange coloured soda that fits into the family of ‘kola champagnes’ that are common in South America. It is a little less sweet than cream soda, with a hint of spice that helps to not make the sugary taste too overwhelming. It kind of tastes like cream soda mixed with coca cola...
1 tag
Favourite Spanish Words
Llorar—To cry
Hogao—Colombian sauce
Aspiradora—Vacuum cleaner
Pantuflas—Slippers
Lavaplatos—Dishwasher
Paella—Spanish seafood and rice dish
Caracól—Snail or Spiral
Reloj—Clock
Chicharrón—Fried pork rinds
Murciélago—Bat
Espaguetis—Spaghetti
Pulpo—Octopus
Ñames—Yams
Acuarela—Watercolour
Bobos—Lazy
Cortar—To cut
Avestruz—Ostrich
Rompecabezas—Puzzle (Literally ‘head breaker’)
Pobrecito—Poor...
1 tag
More photos of Colombia
Driving to my great-aunt’s place.
Old quarter of Bogotá on a grey day.
At the field where the Battle of Boyacá took place!
A common Bogotá street scene.
These little shrines are everywhere along the roadside.
Calla lilies—another thing that are everywhere. I love these so much.
1 tag
WatchSanta Marta in the evening.
3 tags
Santa Marta is nice, Parque Tayrona is not.
January 5th, 2009
Once again, sorry guys. I have been in a place lacking free internet. I was in Santa Marta, up on the Caribbean coast for 5 days, checking out Caribbean beats and voluntarily burning myself with the sun. People here are pretty cool, albeit poorer than up in Bogotá. The Costeños (coast-dwellers) are mostly a mix of people of African and native indian descent. The African women...
2 tags
Villa de Leyva
December 29th, 2008
Disculpe, dudes, I was in a place with no internet for a couple days. We stayed in a 500-year-old hacienda, with 2 beautiful courtyards (connected by a door) and the LOUDEST squeaking floors I have ever encountered. Even when you stepped lightly it sounded like a gunshot. The town we were staying in was called Villa de Leyva, an old Spanish colonial town with a massive plaza....
2 tags
Salt Cathedral, Cerros de Montserrate, Gold Museum
December 23, 2008
Agaaaa, didn’t post last night because I was just too tired! In ay case, yesterday we went to the Salt Cathedral up in Zipaqirá, which is partially a salt mine and partially a shrine to Jesus. Local architects came in and carved 9 crosses representing the suffering of Christ out of solid salt. Everything in the cave is salt, including the floors, walls, and ceiling. There...
1 tag
Getting into Bogotá was hard.
December 21, 2008 Hokay guys, sorry I haven’t posted until now, but It’s been downright hellish! First, at the airport; we went to the check-in desk, and found out there was some sort of problem with our reservation. The lady was in hysterics, and we spent 2/12 hours phoning the travel agency and trying to decipher what the checkout woman was freaking out about. FINALLY her manager...
