Chronicles of On The Road Travel

Street Meat You Can Stomach

There is one souvenir that most travelers hope to avoid bringing home... traveler's stomach. In most third-world countries it is nearly impossible to avoid if you are culinarily curious. After all... what fun is it to travel to a new country and eat all the same things you eat at home? Local markets and new ingredients are one of the best ways to get to know the local culture.

This article on CNN offers a few great tips on how to eat street food without ruining your trip.  Although I would caution on the recommendation to 'ask the locals'. Often the locals are immune to many of the things that will cause stomach flare-ups. A good friend in Buenos Aires once told me I would be fine drinking her tap water.. and then I spent 2 full days unable to keep food down. One great suggestion here is to watch your food being cooked. Boiling water and a fresh hot grill will go a long way towards killing any lingering travel-spoilers.   

Having brought home my own parasitic souvenir from the Kota Baru market in Malaysia nearly a decade ago (whose side effects still haunt me today), I can tell you that it is well worth the precautions. There is nothing worse than spending your entire trip running from one third-world toilet to another!

Check out our suggestions for the best fresh tortillas in Antigua, the best Ceviche in Lima, and for visiting Rio de Janeiro's farmers' markets.

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Taca Announces More Routes in Latin America

Due to popular demand, Taca announced this week that it will be adding new flights from Juan Santamaria airport in Costa Rica to Guatemala, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. These flights result in further connections to Taca's other destination cities including Lima, Buenos Aires, and Sao Paulo.

And The Winners Are...

The results of the New 7 Wonders were announced on Saturday. For better or worse the winning sites are:

Machu Picchu, Peru
Christ Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro
The Great Wall of China
Chichén Itzá, Mexico
Petra, Jordan
The Colloseum in Rome
The Taj Mahal, India

Although I'm happy to see Latin American sites getting this international recognition, it is also a bit worrying. Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail have already suffered considerably from uncontrolled tourism. Although the Peruvian government has put regulations in place which have helped to protect this outstanding souvenir of the Inca Empire, the mobs of tourists who descend on the ruins each day have lessened the site's appeal. Each traveler on the Inca Trail is required to have a permit (and be escorted by a registered tour guide). At the moment the permits are sold out almost through the end of the year. If you were planning to make the trek in the near future, fear not - there are plenty of wonderful alternative treks in the area. For those planning a bit further in advance, Enigma Tours is a reliable local operator offering a variety of options both on and off the Inca Trail. Enigma is a well-run establishment that has carefully selected and trained a group of people, all originally from Cusco, Lima and Arequipa, to be the best guides, chefs, porters and office staff.

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New 7 Wonders - Last Chance to Vote

This is your last chance to vote for the New 7 Wonders of the World - which will be announced on Saturday 07/07/07. Although the contest is clearly marketing at its best (or worst), 50% of the net revenue raised by the project is to be used to fund restoration efforts worldwide. Unfortunately it is the publicity from events like this that drive hoards of tourist traffic to 'manmade heritage' sites such as Machu Picchu and Angkor Wat - both examples of sites that have suffered from a high traffic to maintenance ratio.

Saturday will mark the culminating point of a project that began back in 2001 - pioneered by Swiss adventurer Bernard Weber. By 2005 the N7W panel had narrowed the list of nominees from 77 to 21, and will now be narrowed to 7, not including the Pyramids of Giza, the only remaining Wonder from the original list, which has been awarded an honourary nomination.

Although you can only vote once online, you can pay $2 to vote as many times as you like (paying each time) and receiving a certificate, or by sending a $1 text message. I suppose it is a good way to raise more money (in addition to the t-shirts and various paraphernalia that you can buy) for the cause, but i'll be interested to see how much 'net revenue' is left after the adventurers travel costs have been covered!

Either way, I felt obliged to cast my vote in support of my favorite sites: Peru's Machu Picchu,  Rio  de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer statue, and Cambodia's Angkor Wat.

Travel Advice & Recommendations From Local Experts

Great Local Tour Guides

I'm typically not a fan of overly structured travel, but one thing I always appreciate is a great, personalized, guided tour. Sophia Dembling's recent article, Guidebooks Get You Going, But a Guide Helps You Learn, couldn't have been more spot on. As Sophia writes: Guidebooks can introduce you to the big stuff while walking tours not only provide peeks between the lines, but also are chances to hang with a local and ask questions you've wondered in your wandering.

Local guides are very important to us at On The Road Travel. In each of our cities we have tried to highlight a local, personal guide who we feel does a great job explaining the less obvious highlights of their city, town or country.

Daniel Concha, in Cusco, grew up in the Peruvian jungle and is a great teacher of the spiritual aspects of Peru. The women of Santiago Zamora, near Antigua, Guatemala, can give you a  unique perspective of the indigenous culture of Guatemala with a tour of their village. In Buenos Aires, Robert Wright, a former tour guide for Rick Steves, can show you the hidden nooks and crannies of this incredible city. Lastly, when in Rio de Janeiro, you will get a unique perspective of the Brazilian social situation with Marcelo Armstrong's tour of the favelas (slums). Marcelo, who grew up near a favela in Rio, is one of the pioneers of the favela tour. Check out the OTR website for more great tour guides in Latin America.

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My Brazil / Meu Brasil

Tonight marks the opening of Cinesul 2007 - the Latin American Festival of Cinema and Video - in Rio de Janeiro. Although many of the screenings will only be in Portuguese, we wanted to point out that the opening night will feature the world premiere of My Brazil.

My Brazil is a documentary by Brazilian director Daniela Broitman. In Rio de Janeiro's favelas (slums), local community leaders put their lives on the line to fight for basic rights and services for their fellow citizens. The film seeks to answer the question: What compels these volunteers to face all kinds of discrimination, intense pressure from political parties and drug traffickers, with the sole purpose of improving their communities' quality of life? Daniela explores this topic through 4 years of research with more than 100 community leaders. The film follow the daily lives of three courageous leaders and their surprising journey to the Fifth World Social Forum -- the most important global meeting on social justice. It also features Brazil's president, Lula da Silva, Venezuela's president Hugo Chavez, and Frei Betto and Leonardo Boff - two of the major voices of social justice in Latin America.

Daniela Broitman is a native of São Paulo who has been a journalist for Brazil's leading newspapers and magazines. In 1997 she moved to the US to obtain her Masters in Journalism from UC Berkeley and went on to study digital video production at NYU. In October 2002, Daniela returned to Brazil to witness the presidential elections and began filming the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. Based on this footage, she received a Ford Foundation fellowship to finish her first feature documentary, Voices From The Edge - The Favela Goes to the World Social Mundial. This film won an Excellence Award from the Brazilian Studies Association and was selected by several international film festivals.

Go to the My Brazil website to see a trailer of the movie. Check out our Calendar of Events for Rio de Janeiro to find details of the screenings and other events taking place in Rio. If you're in Rio, consider taking a tour of the favela's to get a first hand view of this aspect of Brazil's urban culture.

The World's Most Endangered Sites

The World Monument's 2008 Watch List has just been released. Every two years this list of the 100 most endangered sites throughout the world is determined, calling attention to sites whose cultural heritage is at risk. The list, which was initiated in 1996, is chosen by an independent panel of international experts.

It comes as no surprise that each of the countries we cover at OTR has at least one site on the list. Site endangerment is often a problem with developing countries whose tourism industry takes off.

Peru has the largest list of the bunch. It comes as no surprise that Machu Picchu tops the list. We have written previously of the problems that have arisen in the area due to its popularity. Other sites in Peru include: Laraos Terraces, Lima's historic city center, Macusani-Corani rock art, San Pedro Apostol de Andahuaylillas Church, and one of my favorites - the Santa Catalina Church in Arequipa.

Guatemala's list includes: Capitanes Generales Palace in Antigua and the Ceibal Archaeological Site in Sayaxche.

Only the Brener Synagogue in Moises Ville was on Argentina's list while in Brazil the Porangatu historical district also made the cut.

This is the first time that the committee has considered environmental factors in its decisions. For more information and to find out site in other countries, check out the fun, interactive map on the World Monuments Watch website.

Travel Advice & Recommendations From Local Experts

FIFA Says No More High Soccer Matches

FIFA, Soccer’s governing body, has imposed a ban on soccer matches at an altitude of 2,500+ meters (8,200 ft), deeming it ‘inhumane’ for the players. As you can imagine, soccer-passionate Latin Americans are in outrage. Many of the Andean countries, whose inhabitants view soccer as a culturally-binding event, including Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador will be affected by this ban.  Peru, for one, had hoped to stage the upcoming World Cup qualifiers in Cusco, which is perched at a lofty 3,400 meters above sea level.

Incidentally, the Latin American ‘heavyweights’, Brazil and Argentina, will not be affected by this ban. In fact, they are accused of being instigators to the ban after complaining of unfair advantages for players who are not accustomed to these conditions.

Some may ask, is the combination of smog and altitude in Mexico City (2,240 meters) not a greater threat to player’s health? Or the extreme heat and humidity that is experienced in Brazil?

Many feel that the decision is a rash one and that it is likely to be reviewed up on appeal. Bolivian President Evo Morales has vowed to send a delegation to FIFA headquarters in Switzerland to protest the ruling. Until then, it will be business as usual at the Bombonera and Maracanã.

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Bolivian Beauty

This weekend’s article about La Paz in the New York Times brought back memories, both good and bad, of my visit to Bolivia. After spending a few cold days in the little town of Puno, Peru, we began our journey across the border to Bolivia. Since there was a transportation strike on, our bus ride made a large detour to avoid firecracker-throwing protestors, dumping us at the border where we had to walk across a bridge and get our passports stamped and carry on with alternative transport on the other side of the border. We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived in the lakeside town of Copacabana, Bolivia. Having already visited many of the indigenous communities living on Lake Titicaca, we took advantage of the local surroundings and hiked the shoreline to visit some of the nearby villages.

I was sad to leave Copacabana, the sunny, peaceful town where we had made ourselves at home in a great hostal with outstanding views, but it was time to push on. Our trip to La Paz was lengthy and exhausting, and we were welcomed to the city by yet another protest – this time involving police with larger-than-necessary guns and shields, leaving us wondering if our backpacks would do the trick when violence broke out. The incident may have set the tone for my impressions of the city – large, loud, bustling and busy. It was only by the time we prepared to leave that I began to discover its charm. Tree-lined cobblestone streets, unique restaurants, a colourful marketplace and some of the most incredible art exhibits we had seen yet on our journey.

Nothing could have prepared me for the beauty of the desert crossing to Chile. The landscapes and colours are an experience that only my memory can capture – photos just don’t do them justice. From stark white salt flats to colourful lagoons adorned with pink flamingos, to landscapes dotted with volcanos, geysers and Aymara communities, the three-day crossing presented a canvas rivaling any art exhibits we’d seen in La Paz. My memory is also scarred by some of the coldest, un-insulated nights I have ever experienced, but in retrospect the permanently numb state was well worth it. Below is a slideshow to give you an idea, but if you plan to visit Peru, an extension trip to Bolivia is worth considering.

Bolivia

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Carnaval in San Francisco

Originally uploaded by Kanaka Pacifica.

It has been a foggy long weekend in the Bay Area, but nothing could stop the annual Carnaval Parade – this year’s was one of the best ever. Held in the Mission neighborhood (which encompasses the area from Cesar Chavez Street to Market Street on the North and South, and from Portrero Street to Guererro Street from East to West) which is home to many Latin American communities in San Francisco. Although it is based on Rio de Janeiro’s Carnaval festivities, this event features not only the local samba school, but dance schools and Latin American cultural groups from across the state of California. The fact that they are now living in the US does not seem to have changed their time clock and as usual, the parade started about an hour late, but this year's costumes and performances made the event an entertaining one. Bikini-clad women, stage-shy children and animated men all danced until the sun broke through the clouds in celebration of their vibrant cultures.

The weekend’s not over yet, and I will be heading down to Anaheim to cheer on the Ottawa Senators as they prepare to take home the Stanley Cup for the first time in history. Go Sens Go!