Somewhere Pretty Cool

It's Over!

After traveling for 313 days, this is our last flight. We're flying back to Washington, DC to take the next step. We'll continue to post pictures, thoughts, and memories over the next few months.

Quarter Report, Vol. 3

Self-interview Sundays: Feeling Good in Montreal

I guess this is a Monday series now? Um, sort of. It's a "sometimes" series.

Why have you reduced the frequency of your posts? I think I'm processing the adventure differently now. At the beginning of the trip everything was new and exotic. The American view of Southeast Asia is small. We're simply not aware of the customs and way of life over there. Every day I found something new and it would make me confront my way of life. There was a constant inhalation of what's happening in front of me and what it means in the world that I come from.

Back in the Americas, it's easier to understand what's happening around me. That's good and bad. We've maybe become lazier travelers. But some of that laziness is due to simply being tired.

I guess being on the road is exhausting? Yeah, it's exhausting. It's not a two-week or two-month trip; it's been ten months. And I think the exhaustion has led us to be less adventurous and, thus, less interesting for a blog audience!

You? Not interesting? No way! Oh, you flatter me, sir.

It must be difficult when that feeling of adventure starts to fade. When I'm more excited for the return of Game of Thrones than visiting a new city, you know it's time to go home.

And now you're in the final weeks of your trip. How does it feel? We're in an amazing city full of our amazing family and friends. It feels fantastic. I've always loved Montreal. I remember the first weekend I came to visit Ariane, she took me to a beautifully dirty cafe, a man was singing at the piano, and I thought to myself at that moment: I could live here. Having now traveled around the world I know that's not true of a lot of cities. (I'm writing this from the same cafe five years later!)

What is it about Montreal that makes you think you could live there? There's no pretension, they're proud of their city and province, they have the Montreal Canadiens (Go Habs!), and they're genuinely nice people.

And how about... Wait, there's more. They love food! They're are so many good restaurants. The bread here is beautiful. I want to create the Bread Index, a rating for a city's bread. Montreal rates highly on the Bread Index (le répertoire du pain). And of course the beauty of the french language makes the city even more romantic.

Maybe one day you'll live in Montreal? It's a real possibility. And if I do, I know I'll be happy.

Are you getting nervous about returning to the US? No, but I am getting my mind and body ready. Last week I started to build a work-life routine. Wake up at a scheduled time, eat a daily breakfast, work for two hours per day. This week I'll work four hours per day. Next week six.

Think that will help you be ready for the 9-to-5 schedule again? It will probably take me some time to fully adjust, but getting in a rhythm will help.

And what can we expect over the last couple of weeks from you while on the trip? Any big posts coming? We're still anticipating the third Quarter Report. Yeah, I'm working on the Quarter Report. That'll be out this week. Here's the thing, the trip will end soon, but our posts won't end for a while. We'll be digging through photos and finding that one shot of a friend from Bali making a funny face and we'll post it. We are also planning posts that aggregate certain recurring themes: kids, animals, etc... We've taken soooo many pictures, we have plenty to use for various project going forward.

And I assume at some point the tone of your posts will change to nostalgia. Probably. It's already happening. The other day I stepped out of our apartment in Montreal and I saw a young hipsterish guy wearing a black hat with bold, white lettering that said: BOY. We saw the exact same hats in Cambodia four months ago. I couldn't help but become nostalgic.

Self-interview Sundays: Cancun and a Return to North America

You're in North America?! Yes we are! We're drinking margaritas and cervezas in Cancun, Mexico. Have you ever stayed at an all-included resort?

No, is it cool? This is my first time and it's kind of insane. It feels...criminal. A small example: there's a little cafe in the lobby with good coffee. I walk in, ask for a coffee -- and a donut -- then walk out. No money, no room number. I get what I want without any additional transaction.

It's like that everywhere at the resort? Even the bar?? The pool bar, the lobby bar, the restaurants. Even the minibar in the room is free.

How about room service? Free too! Ariane ordered a bucket of Dos Equis and ten minutes later a bucket of ice cold cervezas was delivered to our door.

Well, I guess free is the wrong word because you paid for the room. Sort of. We used points. This was our last big splash of points.

Wait, your last splash of points? Does that mean you're coming home? We're coming home!

Wow, so you're shortening your trip? Yeah, we're ready.

Before I ask why you're coming home, let's start with when. In early May we'll be back in the US, but our next stop is Montreal -- our other home. I'll get to spend a whole month in my favorite city.

Ok, and why did you two decide to come home? Wasn't the original idea to travel for a year? We planned for a full year, but plans change. We found ourselves dreaming of a home, a place where we had our little routines and stabilities. In each new city we would build a routine and find a rhythm, and then BAM!, off to another city to start over again.

But isn't that the adventure of travel? Yes, it is. I completely agree. And at times it's the greatest feeling in the world, that sense of newness. But, we had to be honest with ourselves and realize that our sense of adventure was waning. And then I got a job, so that changed the mentality of the trip too.

A new job? Congratulations! Thank you. I'll be working with an awesome friend and colleague that I respect a lot. She reached out, the opportunity was exciting, and we made it happen.

So that moved up the return date? Yes and no. We could've continued the year-long trip and returned in July as planned, but between the desire to build a routine and a great job opportunity, we decided to come home.

And you're happy with the decision? Definitely.

Something Pretty Cool: The Club Sandwich

Mendoza, Rally de las Bodegas

Self-Interview Sundays: Crossing the Andes and Other Daily Stories

Feeling better? Much better thank you very much! We survived our cold and drove our butts to the Andes for a little hike.

Little? 28 km little. It was fantastic. I cry every time I look at the pictures. Really, there’s nothing like the mountains. We sure hope we can find a place to live where there’s mountains to hike and lake to kayak (like Céline Dion, yes) and valleys to tumble into.

It sounds like a big revelation… It is, somehow. Leaving the city is always so nice. Life is so simple during these trips. We’ve been in Santiago for almost 3 weeks now. We walked and visited museums, but we mostly… stayed in and worked.

Aren’t you ashamed to "waste" your travel time like that?! Of course! Guilt is always a big part of the trip: did I visit enough? taste enough? walk enough? tip enough? But sometimes, routine is great too. We are lucky to be able to stay in cool places for very cheap (thank you, oh love of my life, for playing the Points Game) so we can work in relative peace.

So… what do you do in your "routine" moments? Well, we are slowly preparing our return (hello Ikea wish list!), but I’m writing in the morning, also doing research on our next destination. In the meantime, Mike edits pictures and reads about hotels (and televisions…). It’s a fun routine, makes us feel… normal!

And what is the next destination? Valparaiso! We figured that, since we didn’t plan to go in the South of Chile — EVERYONE here tells us that we should have gone South… another guilt that comes with travels: advice! — we at least had to see the ocean. So West we go! We rented a car and will have a little road trip to the coast. It should be fun… until we get lost and Mike asks me for directions. Then it’ll get less fun. But hey. The perks of having a bad co-pilot as a wife!

I’m sure it’s not that bad. Oh of course it is.

And then what happens? He grabs my phone/map and figures it out himself.

I meant what happens next… Oh, well it’s a surprise. But it involves leaving Chile and treating ourselves with the biggest indulgence/splurge of the trip — it’s almost over, after all…

What what what?!!! Can’t say, but it’s very cheesy and breezy and it might involve quite a few margaritas.

Tease. Finally: how are you feeling? I have an urge to go back to the mountains while staying in my bathrobe while ordering a club sandwich extra bacon from room service. Makes sense?

Self-interview Sundays: Wine Country of Mendoza

Let me guess, you've been drunk for two weeks? C'mon, give me a break! We're in one of the best wine regions in the world, we've certainly enjoyed a few tastings.

And what have you sampled? Mendoza is known for its Malbec, a well-structured red wine.

"Well-structured"? Since when did you become a sommelier? I'm surprised you can spell the word sommelier. A fun couple from back home came to visit and we visited 10 different vineyards, ranging from boutique winery to mega exporter.

Ok, for the beginners amongst us, myself included, what does a visit to a vineyard consist of? It's two parts: touring the facility and getting insight into their process, and then drinking. During the tour the winemaker or resident sommelier will talk about the origin of the winery, the grapes they choose to grow, and show you their barrels and bottling. We happened to be there during harvest season, so we got to see people picking and separating grapes.

Are the processes the same for each winery? No, it's different at each place. Some use very old, traditional methods. Others use massive industrial machinery to make it more efficient. Some use French oak, others use American. Some left the wine barreled for six months, others 18. I think that was the coolest aspect of the visit, to see how much thought and effort went into turning a bunch of grapes into a beautiful wine.

Better than drinking the wine? Um, maybe not better, but equal.

When you tasted the wine did you say things like, "I smell a hint of apricots, a touch of vanilla..."?? Ha! I didn't, but only because I couldn't smell those things. I wanted to be able to smell the berries and tell you it had a long finish, but my palate isn't good enough. Ariane and our friends were more sophisticated, they could decipher the tastes. I mostly swished the wine around in my mouth and made noises like I was searching for the right descriptor.

I saw you two made the local Fashion Police report?! Yeah, sometimes we find ourselves in unexpected places, like when we were invited to the wedding in the foothills of Chiang Mai, Thailand or the celebration at the Buddhist temple in Can Tho, Vietnam. We don't plan these things, they just happen.

And how did you two end up on a fashion report? This is kind of a rabbit hole, but...we happened to be in Mendoza during their busiest time of the year, the National Wine Festival, known as Vendimia. Well, the hotel we picked was also the cultural hub for the festivities. They must've hosted five parties during the week.

Did you pick the hotel knowing that? Not at all. I'm loyal to Hyatt and they had a great property in Mendoza, so we booked a long stay there using points. (If you haven't read about our use of points, do it now!)

And how did you get invited to the party? My loyalty to Hyatt means I have their top status, and I guess someone at the hotel thought it would be nice to invite their top members to the party.

Meet anyone famous? Ha! Maybe. I mostly drank wine and ate the brownies. I could've had a conversation with the governor and wouldn't have realized it. The biggest celebrity to me was the hotel manager -- I love getting the business card of the hotel's GM. He was fun to talk to and ended up giving us free tickets to the big concert the following night!

More freebies!? Yeah, the concert was very cool. It's an interpretive dance concert extravaganza where the dancers act out the harvesting of the grapes and the making of wine. There had to be 200 people on stage dancing ballet, tango, and folk dancing. It was a lot of fun. But we left before the Wine Queen was crowned.

A queen??! Yeah, a queen.

It sounds like you had a couple of busy weeks in Mendoza. What's next? I'm typing this from a bus somewhere in the Chilean Andes. We'll be in Santiago, Chile for a couple of weeks. We're sad to leave Argentina, but excited for the next adventure.

Something Pretty Cool: Argentine Socialites!

Here's a funny story. We were invited to a private party at our hotel to celebrate the beginning of the national wine festival. After rushing around all day to find something passable, we pieced together outfits to meet the stated dress code: smart casual. Well, guess who the local Fashion Police identified as being trendy?! Click on the picture above to see the full article on their site -- and our full outfits!