Oakland's Best Dance Party

I've been hearing about The People party for a long time and my cynicism has kept me from checking it out. A dance party put on once a month that has a great crowd, good music and is always fun? Really? Every month, every time?

Yes. It's all true. The People, you are the cherry on top of Oakland's revamped nightlife. The venue, New Parish, was perfect for a hot night- a big sweaty dance floor, a balcony, and a beautiful, cool outdoor courtyard. I've never been around a nicer, more dance-happy crowd in Oakland (or a nicer looking crowd- so that's where you're hiding!) DJ Spinna was dope, the pretentious but talented dance circle was super entertaining, and even though I don't know how to dance to house music (I just followed Yeshi) it may have been my favorite dance party of 2010.

As my friend said while we were walking home, "Oakland hasn't been this hot since World War II!" Dance on Oakland, dance on.
Got the travel bug?
The People: http://thepeopleoakland.com/ Every 4th Saturday of the month
New Parish: http://www.thenewparish.com/

Safe in Salvador

It feels weird to head East as Chile tumbles down. Everyone I know is fine. Scared and anxious at the most. Most of my friends, in typical Chilean style, have responded to my frantic emails with humor.

It's ironic, two weeks ago, as Mikael and I walked on the beach in Curanipe, a small beach town close to the epicenter of the quake, I thought about taking a picture of the house we were staying in. It belongs to the family of my friend Cote and smells like pine, sea, and my favorite memories as a teenager. I'm trying to limit the number of photos I have of lone buildings, they just gather cyber dust in my computer. So, did I take a picture of the bright purple house on the shore? Naaa. It'll be there when I come back. 

Cote says the house is somehow still standing and her family had already returned to Rancagua by the time of the quake, but Curanipe and the surrounding coastal towns were hit the hardest by the Tsunami. Nearby in Pelluhue , where we sat in a beach bar drinking beer, a bus of retirees was swept away and over 300 homes have been destroyed. 
That moment in front of the house served as a lesson to not take the beautiful places and people I visit for granted.  That being said, I've had two days in Salvador, Brazil and have been blown away by how colorful and beautiful it is here. It's the kind of beauty that doesn't try hard to impress you-- just a sunset with the neighborhood kids and ice cream next to the full moon. I'm staying with Gabriela, one of my oldest friends, and if this wasn't a welcoming enough place, she only makes my stay here more warm and comfortable. I'm taking lots of pictures. 

On the beach in Barra my first night.

That really bright light is a stage in the water. We plan on buying floating thingys and  swimming to the stage next Saturday. 

Outside of the Igreja do Bonfim, where people tie ribbons around themselves and the church gates and make three wishes with each not.

Gaby helping me make my wishes. 

Sunset at Ponto de Maita.

Ice cream at Sorvetería da Ribeira (that's Gaby's bf, I didn't pick up a cute Brazilian boy at the ice cream shop).

Beiju and chocolate at a street fair. That strawberry fell on the ground but he still wanted it, hence the expression on the vendor's face. 

Pelourinho - Centro Historico. 

And now to the beach!

Want to help in Chile? 

Click here for a list of relief efforts

Buenos Aires: Days 2 & 3

Tues:
1. Cruise around San Telmo, our hood for five days. Found a great vintage store called El Buen Orden. The owners are adorable and helped me go through the entire sunglasses collection until I found the perfect vintage armani shades (I'm a classy biatch). Calle Defensa is lined with Antique shops, I was in heaven waking up in this area.

2. Bus to La Boca. Home of the local soccer team Boca Juniors and la Caminata, small walkway lined with artists and tango dancers. Kinda sketch at night.

We had lunch at Don Carlos, EVERYONE MUST GO! Carlitos greets you at the door and the food don't stop coming till you tell it to (seriously, there is no menu you just get served). Classic home cooked Italian fare. Right next to the stadium (note: he's closed on game days).

3. Recoleta Cemetary. Evita's resting place. I had "Don't cry for me Argentina..." stuck in my head all day.

4. Recoleta Cultural Center and Palais Glacia. Both had cool exhibits, my fave at the cultural center was graphic novelist Salvador Sans .

5. Back to the base. Found this great store, Puntos en El Espacio. Full of different Argentine designers and totally affordable. I cut my toe on the way out (good thing I got that tetanus shot!) so no pics. God was punishing me for shopping morning and evening.

6. Dinner at Cafe San Juan. OMG, how could our second choice be that good? Such a shame that my partner in pork (Agustina) could not be with us that night because this place can braze some pork, puree some potatoes, and bacon wrap a grilled onion. I almost cried it was so good. Plus the boys in the kitchen all looked like they hopped off the santa cruz boat- skater hats bobbed in and out of the kitchen. Jean aprons, big smiles, and chalkboard menus. The waiter also recommended the salmon pate which was divine.

7. You think I went out after that? Hellll no.
Wed:

1. Viejo Palermo. Shop, walk, shop, walk, eat at Freud & Fahler. Palermo feels miles away from the city center. It's quiet, and strolling down cobblestone alleyways from boutiques to stylish cafes to cute plazas is super pleasant. I got some jeans at Puro Diseno and some very cute undies at Juana de Arco.

2. Met Ariel at Cafe Tortino, one of the oldest cafes in Buenos Aires. The typical snack here is a cafe con leche with three crossants.

3. We stumbled upon the Casa de Cultura and one of the best photography exhibits I've seen in a while. Laberinto de Miradas, "fricciones y conflictos en ibroamerica", please check out the link. Reminded me that despite all the flashes of violent images we see on a daily basis, I certainly am not desensitized when confronted with a photograph that relates a story and a history of injustice, poverty, etc. http://www.laberintodemiradas.net/
4. Drinks at neighborhood bar in San Telmo. I got an allergic reaction from the wine. WTF?
5. Drinks and dub music at La Cigale. Beautiful bar, chill atmosphere, and decent mojitos!

More comin at ya soon!

Got the travel bug?
El Buen Orden: Defensa 894, San Telmo
Don Carlos: Brandsen 699, La Boca
Recoleta area: http://www.recoleta.com.ar/
Cafe San Juan: San Juan 450
Freud & Fahler: Gurrachaga 1750
Tortino: Av de Mayo 829
La Cigale: 25 de Mayo 722

Buenos Aires: Day 1 1/2

Call me trendy, but I also love this city. Doing so much each day that we are gonna have to do a play by play.
Sun: Arrive evening. Meet Ariel (my friend who I met in Istanbul but is from BA) in Palermo (like Soho) at a bar. Mirrors on the wall, disco balls, red velvet and a live neo soul lineup that took me by surprise. First it was Prince (to go with the decor), then D'Angelo, then Earth, Wind & Fire and then Erykah Badu! It was like they were in my ipod, sans the vocal talent of above named artists. But the musicians were good and the place made for great people watching. Better yet, hipster watching.

Mon:
1. Alto Palermo. It's pouring rain so of course I went to the mall! But this isn't just any mall. Kinda posh, but full of Argentine designers and summer sales.
2. Palermo Soho for 10 minutes until it started raining cats and dogs on me:(
3. Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA). Great Andy Warhol exhibit and a sweet collection of Latin American artists. I liked Antonio Berni: example 1 and example 2. Yummy and slightly expensive cafe.

4. Ateneo Gran Splendid. Theatre turned bookstore/cafe. Cafe is on what used to be the stage. People spend hours here and I would too. I had hot chocolate because I had puddles in my shoes by then.

5. Walk down Avenida Santa Fe. Lots of stores, we ducked into Galeria Bond St, think the Haight in an underground mall.

Tattoo shops and punkish clothing galore. A few blocks up was Galeria 5ta, an underground vintage mall... just follow the scent of mothballs. Get your cute retro shorts here.

6. Hostel for a sec then to Centro Cultural Konnex for a drum cirlce called Bomba del Tiempo that happens every Monday. Props to Stephan for telling me to go here. Huge crowd and such an awesome open space, puts the Bay's use of space to shame.

7. Pizza and empanadas at Guerrin. Apparently it's a classic. They make this chickpea bread that you put on top of the pizza- it adds a whole new dimension.

Got the travel bug?

Alto Palermo: http://www.altopalermo.com.ar/

Malba: http://www.malba.org.ar/web/home.php

Ateneo: Av Santa Fe 1860

Galerias: Av Santa Fe 1670 & 1270

Bomba del Tiempo: http://labombadetiempo.blogspot.com/

Guerrin: Corrientes & Talcahano

Will Hike for Chocolate

So... I've come to realize that I'm a city girl. Lakes and mountains can only stimulate me for so long. Thank god we got to Buenos Aires, but before we did here are the two hikes that even I could appreciate.

Cerro Piltriquitron, El Bolson:
El Bolson is a hippie town in the lake district of Argentina (enough with the lakes already!) We stayed here for two days and on the second day we took a taxi to the Plataforma Piltriquitron and hiked to the Refugio (about an hour uphill). Epic views (above) and the refugio serves hot chocolate and pizza.

Cerro Campanario, Bariloche:
Bariloche is a town of chocolate and tourists. I have to admit that after we did all the chocolate tasting we could (Mamushka was the best) I wanted to get out of here ASAP. But, we met some nice kids from Toronto and decided to take a hike with them the next day. The hike was damn steep, but the mother of all lake/mountain views awaited us, as well as a very cute cafe.

Got the travel bug?
El Bolson hostel: http://www.altosdelsur.bolsonweb.com/
Bariloche hostel: http://www.hostel41below.com/es_index.htm
Mamushka chocolate: http://www.mamuschka.com/

Puerto Varas

Hellloooo cuteness! This small town in the lake district was our last stop in Chile. The highlights:
Beerfest: We got here just in time for a festival of artisan beers from the region. If it wasn't for the polka band we would've stayed all night. Kunstmann amber takes the cake.

 

 

Hostal Erika: 

Pleasant B & B not far from the town center. Erika and her son run the place and are incredibly helpful-- her son even lent me his jacket to wear today as it is very cold and rainy. And they've made the best jokes so far about my brothers height (he is hella tall for yall that don't know). "He won't get lost, all he has to do is jump and he'll see the bus station..."

Kuchen: These german tarts are actually made in the neighboring town of Frutillar (also reeks of cuteness). We found this family-run kuchen factory, grabbed a slice and sat on the pier.

 

The view from the plaza: 

Nuff said.

Got the travel bug?
Hostal Erika: http://www.hostalerika.cl/

Chile: The Hits

Dive Bar Honorable Mention: La Notta

 

What could be more fun than sitting in a smokey bar listening to a chorus of drunkin chilean bachelors belting out chilean folk songs??? Probably a lot. But remember that I am in Rancagua. No cheesy karaoke menus here, just Don Ramon on the guitar and several mics being passed from table to table. It's 4 am and David and I have already had a bottle of havana club (ha ha!) and hit the disco. Usually I'm in bed by this point, but the tia who owns this place is absolutely charming and the commodore between sloshed macho men seems so genuine and sweet when punctuated by a duet.

If we are talking about dive bars then we are inevitably talking about late night munchies too. Award goes to El Bajon. Completos, As Lomos (don't really know what they are, but I decided to call them Lamas Ass and ate one anyway), and cute hipsters.

 Valparaiso:

 Valpo is like that hippie chick you think is kinda dirty and mismatched but are charmed by anyway. Colorful houses, great views, and awesome street art. This would be such a great place to be high. From Cerro Concepcion and Alegre:

 

 

 

Our best meal was on the second floor of the city market:

Fried eel is actually pretty delicious. 

Isla Negra: 

 

Shout out to Rick Ayers for educating an entire generation of B-High kids about Pablo Neruda, the poet who loved his women as much as his patria. It may have been his poetry that inspired me to come to Chile in the first place. The tour of his house is a closer peak into his genius-- he was a collector of folk art, glass bottles, toy ships, and each item is in it's right place-- even the bed is set up to rise and fall with the sun. It was in this bed that Pablo spent his last days battling cancer and the devastation of the military coup on September 11, 1973 (he died 12 days later). For those of you that don't know, Pabs was as dedicated a politician as he was a poet, and I think that makes him even more of an intriguing person. When the military searched this house, my guide said that he told them, "Look around—there's only one danger for you here—poetry."

Side note: I wonder what Pablo would be thinking now... Chile just elected a right-wing billionaire, Sebastian Pinera, after 20 years of liberal leadership. He's the third-richest citizen in Chile. Talk about conflict of interest! My younger friends were down with socialist candidate Marco Enríquez-Ominami, so keep an eye on him and an even closer eye on Pinera.

Curanipe: When I first came to Chile, I was told that I would be going to school with a bunch of upper class pinochetistas, and to keep my Berkeley mouth shut. Buttoned up in my catholic school uniform (no pictures), my first day was pretty intimidating. My teacher called role and my eyes darted around the room looking for a potential friend. "Maria Jose Guevarra Allende!"
"Present!" And the clouds parted to reveal a freckled-faced hippie nicknamed Cote. 

Cote (no relation to Che or Salvador Allende, btw) was my first friend and I spent the last few weeks of my study abroad time at her family's beach house in this town in central Chile. The family is still wonderful: They loved my brother Mikael and even let him win at dominoes every night:) The beach is just as quiet (they chuckled when I asked if there was an internet cafe), although we did get to treat Mikael to his first latin american karaoke experience (again, no pictures). No major tourist attractions here, but the shrimp empanadas are so good drunkin middle aged women yell outside of a restaurants at 1pm out of impatience. Okay, just one woman but I've never seen anyone want an empanada that bad.

Got the travel bug?
La Notta and El Bajon: HellifIknow, Rancagua.
Isla Negra:http://www.fundacionneruda.org/home_islanegra.htm (make reservations)
Nice Hostel in Valpo: http://www.rinconmarino.cl/