Tales

Like all isolated tribes and maniacal suburbanites, the Amazonian tribes have their own folklore and belief system. The Ticunas in particular believe that the divine pink dolphin (Bufeo Colorado) impregnates women in the night. 

Leticia is nicely nestled between Peru & Brazil, creating a conglomeration of cultural encounters. Under the blazing morning sun, we ran from Colombia into Brazil along the heavily trafficked main road without so much as a blink of an eye over the border. Most Amazonians choose to run at night when the city is quieter and the exhaust and heat have diminished. Even under feet of rainwater, scooters fill the roads in the morning hours, packed on tight with crates of eggs, babies with helmets, and multiple schoolchildren. After the abrupt storms, water sprays into the chests of fellow commuters, knees remain submerged and the city becomes alive again. 

Even after the night’s heavy rain continued well into the morning, the ground continued sipping up the rainwater. Deep into the jungle nearby, I was suspended 200 feet up in the air gradually hosting myself higher and higher up for a canopy tour. Unlike the typical American zipline where one climbs a ladder, we worked our way up the rope with our grips- the smell of Reptileo exuding from our pores in the humid air. Above the trees, the cooler air blew through and the jungle seemed impenetrable as the sounds of birds resonated off the treetops. The noise of the changed quickly once we got into the riverbed in our kayaks. Insects echoed- blared- like sirens. 

The Brazilian Portuguese and cachaca can be experienced hand-in-hand with Peruvian ceviche and Colombian patacons. I chased down the irritation from mosquito molestation with caprihanas muddled on the cliffside of Tabatinga. The sun set behind the coast of Peru, seemingly pulling the clouds with it.

Dine
Great fish to eat while you’re there: Dorado & pirarucu
Tierras Amazonicas Carrera 8, Leticia, Amazonas, Colombia
El Santo Angel Dorado a parilla

Drink
Aguardiente, caprihina 
Comara (Tabatinga Brazil- best place to see  the sunsetl)

Adventure
Tanimboca: canopy (dorsel) tour and spectacular rustic accommodations in a natural reserve
Pre-arrange excursions so they can get enough people together not to bail on your reservation.
Isla de los micos: I recommend skipping. Monkeys simply just molest you for about 15 minutes before you go to the next stop.

The old #28 tram somehow winds through these streets, hauling loads of tourists packed liked sardines. Which is quite fitting, seeing that grilled sardines are a local staple. Despite the guidebooks’ claims that locals still mainly use the line, one only sees pale arms hanging out of the windows snapping pictures. This is the main reason I refuse to take the train until the following day and, by the time I finally concede, I board the tram like a dehydrated golden-retriever on the final leg to the Basilica Estrela. 

I wander uphill to Igreja Graca to get a virgin’s orientation of the city. It is vast; with the a spectacular view of the impossing Castello de Sao George perched high over the stacked orange roofs. However humorously unoriginal, the Ponte 25 de Abril is a powerful sight from afar and seems to give the towering Cristo Rei a red carpet entrance.

In an attempt to climb the Castello de Sao Jorge for ‘the best view’, I end up wandering around the little streets surrounding it for over a half-an hour, before finally reaching the entrance to be completely over the undertaking. I would argue that we got a better view from the Igreja for free. 

Walking through the streets, with sand between my toes due to quick spur-of-the-moment trip to Cascais, the possibilities are exhilarating and beautifully overwhelming at times. The little cobblestone streets are enchanting, especially upon the descent to Ria da Liberdad. It is an unexpectedly scenic road, considering it is one of the main thoroughfares jutting through town into the drugpusher’s den aka Praca Pedro. The street has a tree-lined ped-pathway with shaded benches near a multitude of ponds. As usual, I subconsciously decide on a mission without being completely informed (this is also due to stubborn unwillingness to read a map instead of simply looking at a map) and walk to Parque Eduardo VII. The Marques de Pombal is a sweet site but the park’s fountains are graffiti-ridden and one is even tagged joker-style with red mocking lips. 

After the tram ride from Alfama (on which the train got stuck due to lack of uphill speed and had to descend to reattempt incline a second time), I got a taste of the Portuguese gardens while lying in Jardin da Estrella under a willow-tree enjoying some vinho verde before taking a peek inside the Basilica da Estrella.  Warning: Do not get apprehended when you enter the Basilica by the old nuns. They’ll take you behind a tomb to the church’s tourist trap: pay .50 to light up a paper-mache crib of 500 bobble-headed figures.

If you go, you simply must:


Bars, Music, Nightlife:
The Old Pharmacy
PAVILHÃO CHINÊS
Docas- Drink the Sangria
PÁGINAS TANTAS
Tasca do Chico – Bairro Alto- Fado
Sip on capirhinas & ginginha (only from hole-in-the-wall joints)
Elevator de Gloria

Skip: 
Nacional de Arte Antiga, rather disappointing venture and consisted of gory art that is full of blood-spewing decapitated heads. 
the Castello de Sao Jorge
Basilica da Estrella

Sidetrips
Belem: 
Confeitaria de Belem- eat the pastries 
Jeronimos
Discovery Monument
Pracado Imperio
Muse Collecciao Berrado- Design

Sintra:
Pena National Palace- Visit in the late afternoon and have a drink of wine before closing, and get a chance to feel what it means to be in the clouds…

Cascais:
Craving a beach? This is just a short ride away. It was beautiful, but inquire with locals to find the hidden spots. Bring a towel and buy some fruit from a street vendor and relax by the sea.

Lodging:
Lisbon is known for quality Hostels, they are abundant. 
Where I stayed: Tavira Youth Hostel, safe & clean with community dinners

Fib Music Festival

Benicassim, Spain

Flam, Norway

Similan Islands National Park, Island No. 4, Thailand

National Highway 6 –> Phnom Koulen National Park, Cambodia

Old weathered ladies boiling pots of pho on the street while their daughters stare down at their cell phones.

Temple Club
Saigon, Vietnam

Björholmen, Sweden

Every street is different, yet the same. Rows of dilapidated buildings with cracked paint, frequently collapsing onto the ground like crushed dry leaves. The buildings conferred history and time unraveling , literally telling the story of the place like none other. On one building, an ornate iron balcony would enclose a brightly painted apartment. Above, there would be an opposite story- the identical unit merely a carcass. Each building was a quilt, its patchwork presented a mixture of wealth and circumstances. 

The variability was a result of the state’s system: owners could not ever sell their units, renovation materials have been difficult to come by due to the past state-run market and high prices, and, most importantly, because common areas were not one entity’s direct property. (Stairwells, roofs, exterior facades of buildings were unkempt.) Because of this, buildings were literally crumbling at the rate of about three collapses a day. Restoration has now beginning but the problem is thwartingly immense and widespread- restorers simply can’t keep up. They don’t have access to the materials or the funds. The architecture combined with the fiery vigor of the people gives an inexplainable allure to the city. Havana is a time capsule that is sure to disappear.

If you go:

Art, Food, Drink
Callejon de Hamel– An Courtyard turned Afro-Cuban art project
Rene Pena Photography– Study up and see it for yourself at private restaurant Atelier Cuba
Hemingway’s Cuban Residence– Spectacular
Farmacia Taquechel– Beautiful snapshot of a traditional, mid-century pharmacy on Calle Obispo
Casa de Fuster – Heralded as the Cuban Gaudi
El Tempelete – State owned restaurant in Old Habana with great seafood
La Guarida – Paladares (private-owned) restaurant mysteriously set on the second-story of a seemingly abandoned mansion

After-hours:
Espacios, 10th St. and 31st ave playa
Melon Club, 1st and 60 Playa
Encuentros, Linea St between L and M

Quick Sidetrip:
Las Terrazas– Have coffee at Cafe Maria after canoeing, zip-lining, and swimming in the temperate creek

Skip:
El Floridita – Outside is the best part, unless you enjoy being ripped off