Interest in fashion IS crucial

I checked the mail today and got my latest Nordstrom catalogue. Next week starts their half-yearly sale, my favorite shopping event of the year, second only to the Nordstrom Anniversary sale of course. There's just nothing that compares to that happy shiny feeling you get when you walk through their doors. And come on, what other store serenades you with grandiose piano playing while trying on Cole Haan Nike Air Sole strappy heels?

But this time, I am having a hard time justifying a splurge on clothes (even beautiful, beautiful clothes). I have recently made a change in my lifestyle, much influenced by having read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and having watched numerous socially conscious independent documentaries courtesy of Netflix (I don't have cable, not even NBC thanks to Time Warner). In an effort to be more "green" and support my local economy, I'm trying to buy goods that are produced as close to Austin as possible - buying things that are produced close by inherently supports local businesses and reduces the amount of petroleum required to transport those things.

Naturally I have started with food goods, since 1) I love to eat and 2) I love to eat. The downtown farmers market is my first pick because they have a variety of meats (cornish hens, feral hogs, lamb) and wonderful organic produce from Central Texas farms. (My fanaticism for Central Market has faded...their produce section, though quality, consists of fruits and vegetables from California, New Jersey, and as far away as Holland...think of all the gas required to ship and store those peppers...the only thing from Texas I found was alfalfa sprouts and sunflower sprouts...I guess Texans like sprouts?)

You can even buy dairy products at the farmers market. Ray bought a delicious jar of feta cheese that was made by Brazos Valley farms in Waco. There's also fresh pasta. This past week I made a yummy dish using wild mushroom papardelle from Pasto & Co. (made in Austin on Kerbey Lane). I just tossed the pasta with a lemon cream white wine sauce I made and added shredded cheese and diced tomatoes. There's even bread, fresh fish, and flowers (if I ever get a green thumb I will buy one of those flowers).

So here's my dilemma: considering most clothes are not made in the USA at all, how can I allow myself to buy clothes from a corporate retailer that isn't even based in Texas?

This problem is stressing me out. I think I need some retail therapy.

Falling

My favorite time to be in Austin and the Texas Hill Country is between March and April when the bluebonnets and other wildflowers cover the sweeping fields and even manage to make I-35 look like a beautiful sea of blue. However, when the first cold front hits after months of heat, I fall in love with fall.

It's a short-lived affair. One to two days in, allergies betray my trust and a lover's quarrel between congestion and runny-nose-like-a-drippy-faucet ensues. This year I was extremely desperate and bought a Neti Pot after hearing my co-workers rave about the miraculous effects it brings.

This is a Neti-Pot:



And I love it.

According to the Himalayan Institute website, the Neti Pot "naturally cleanses, refreshes, and protects the nasal passages, one of our body's first lines of defense against illness. Recommended today by doctors and pharmacists worldwide, the Neti Pot has been used for thousands of years in Ayurvedic medicine to alleviate sinus and allergy problems."

Just like love, the first time is the worst. Imagine shoving the spout up your nose and pouring a warm saline solution up one nostril, breathing through your mouth, overcoming the sensation of drowning in a pool, and feeling a mixture of mucus, water, and salt come out the other side. But once you get past that moment of panic, you're in the clear.

I neti-pot in the morning and I'm considering adding a second night-time neti to my regimen. I recommend doing it behind closed doors. In my experience, inviting a loved one to witness the neti-potting elicits weird looks and awkward excuses. (Like trimming your nose hair in the car with an electric trimmer is a socially appropriate act.)

In short, I am once again in love with fall - tailgates, pumpkins and squash at the farmers market, breezy walks on the greenbelt and Townlake - thanks to a little ceramic pot I call My Neti.

Vacation pictures

Click on the albums below to view our pictures from Peru!

Cusco PERU

Machu Picchu

Motorcycle Diaries to Pisac

Los Organos - Soleil Bungalows

Comida tipica

Peruvian cuisine is anything but typical. Our first night in Miraflores (Lima), we ventured to a restaurant with a fabulous view of the Pacific ocean. Lima is situated right on the coast, high atop these beautiful cliffs which are lined with various parks that hug the edge. Our first taste of Peru was their national drink, the Pisco sour. Pisco is a type of brandy made from the muscat grape. A pisco sour is made with pisco, simple syrup, fresh lemon juice, a little big of egg white, and a splash of bitters. Ray is a fan, I like the Cusquena beer better.



The table next to us ordered this awesome scallops and clams dish, served in clamshells and covered with parmesan cheese. So rich! We also ordered the ceviche which Peru is known for - sea bass or "corvina", this was also incredible, especially the price :)



The food in Cusco was equally wonderful. Here we explored the gringo restaurants, local restaurants (known as "picanterias"), and pizzerias...they sure do love their Italian here. Upon arrival to our hotel, El Balcon, we were met with steaming mugs of mate de coca (tea made with coca leaves) to help with the altitude:



Unlike Mexico or other central American countries, tortillas are not part of the Peruvian diet. Potatoes, rice, and corn are staples. Their corn (choclo) are very sweet, and the kernels are HUGE (2-3x the size of our corn). Recoto relleno (stuffed peppers) is a delicious, typical dish. Here they are served with papa dorado (potatoes cooked through but crispy on the outside):



Aji de gallina (chicken & onions over rice), trucha (trout), and bisteca (grilled meat) are also typical dishes. Oddly enough, these dishes are very similar to filipino food, so I actually ate more rice in Peru than I would normally do (after 21 years you get a little burned out).







And last but not least, the Peruvian delicacy, Cuy al horno...aka your childhood pet guinea pig. Here it is Pre-Ray:



And post....YUCK!



If you want to know what it tastes like you'll have to ask Ray. And he will try to convince you that it's good. Boys are gross.

Ice cream

I just found out I missed the Austin Ice Cream festival, again for the 2nd year!
:( How can they have an Ice Cream festival without me? No one loves ice cream more, or eats it as well as I do. I would rather die than be lactose intolerant. I look forward to landing at ABIA so I can have my first taste of Amy´s in the past two weeks... I can´t believe it´s already been so long.

When I was in grad school in St. Louis, my wonderful friend Sabrina even brought me two pints from Austin (Belgian Chocolate and Mexican Vanilla, classic flavors)...which lasted maybe a day or so.

All I have to say to the winner of the 2nd Annual Austin Ice Cream festival contest is wait till next year... then BRING IT ON.

Los Organos, Peru

Made it to the beach. Please send cash and dogs. Will be in touch in a couple months.

Yo Momma´s a Llama

We conquered Machu Picchu! (Sorry for the lack of pictures, it is really hard to find computers that are fast enough or have usb ports. Don´t worry, we have some 800 pictures already...not to mention videos thanks to Ray aka Clark)

Yesterday we woke up early and trained from Cusco to Aguas Calientes. We arrived around lunchtime and headed on a bus up to Machu Picchu after checking into our hotel. The bus drive itself is crazy, with beautiful views...the drive consists of more than a dozen switchbacks up the side of a mountain, on a road only narrow enough for one bus, but they manage to squeeze in two at times! (I held my breath each time). We explored the ruins until closing, right before sunset. The experience is indescribable, the Andes are incredible, I could go on and on but I really don´t know where to start. It is unbelievable how such a beautiful city could be built so high with so little resources.



Today was Mission Wayna Picchu (the tall mountain behind all of the Machu Picchu postcards). We woke up at 4 a.m. (rather, Ray woke up at 4, I woke up when the coffee came) so we could fall in line for the bus. We got down to the bus station by 4:30 and there was already a line forming. At 5:30 the first bus came, and we were lucky enough to be on the second bus of the day! As soon as we arrived, I hopped off the bus and raced to the front gate, with a HUGE crowd following. Again we waited patiently at the gate and made friends with a group of Americans who just came off the Inca Trail the day before. Only 400 people a day are allowed to climb up Wayna Picchu so it gets a little crazy. Luckily, the Americans we met still had their sherpa named Francisco, so as soon as the gates open it was a mad dash to the back of the ruins toward Wayna Picchu. At approximately 7:00 am, Ray and I walked through the Wayna Picchu checkpoint (number 26 and 27) and began our long day of hiking in the Andes.



I had my doubts the day before, having heard stories about how dangerous and scary it is - the Incan steps are narrow and wind steeply up and down the face of the mountain, most of the time there is no guardrail so there is little room for error. But with adrenaline pumping, I focused on putting one foot in front of the other, and the climb up went by so fast. (At least for me, Ray has a ¨trick knee¨) You´ll have to wait to see the pictures from the top of the mountain...just amazing. You can see the clouds below us which slowly separate to reveal more gorgeous, tree covered mountains. After having lunch at the top, we ventured down the back of Wayna Picchu to see the Gran Caverna. This was probably my favorite portion of the hike. Although steep and intimidating (two times we had to climb down ladders made out of tree branches which hugged the mountain side) the path was relatively quiet and well engineered... the Incans must have perfected the art of making steps out of granite. I´ll let the pictures (I promise to post more asap) explain the rest.



We are waiting for our train back to Cusco. Tomorrow we fly from Cusco to Lima to Piura, then take a taxi to Mancora. Yay beach for a week! I never want to climb up stairs again. Oh, and Ray had guinea pig in Cusco...but that´s another story...

Motorcycle Diaries

We made it to Cusco and our intended hotel, El Balcon. The views from our balcony are beautiful. It took awhile to adjust to the altitude, but the mate de coca helped. The first day we explored the city and took it easy. The city of Cusco is so different from Lima. Cusco still has its old world charm - cobble streets, colonial architecture, and incan ruins everywhere - except for all of the gringo backpackers. The people here are very friendly and helpful. And there are coca leaves in abundance...


The second day Ray decided he wanted to rent a motorcycle. So we rode our little Honda 250 up through the Andes into the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Our main destination was a small Incan town called Pisac, which is primarily known for its huge markets. Riding on a motorcycle in Peru was definitely an experience, especially driving around the steep mountain turns with tour buses behind and infront of us. We made it and did a little souvenir shopping.


Pisac was also a great Incan site. After an hour of shopping we hopped onto our motorcycle and drove up the steep mountain to the ruins, which were amazing. Cut into the mountainside were rows and rows of terraces, which the Incans used for crops. This was also our warm-up for climbing Machu Picchu - after only 45 minutes I was out of breath, and a little timid from the centuries old steps without any handrails which cut into the mountain that rose thousands of metres from the river valley.

Today we stayed in Cusco and visited Qoricancha, an ancient Incan temple that was converted into a church called Santa Domingo. Prior to the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors and greedy catholics, the temple of Qoricancha consisted of rooms lined with gold sheets weighing 2kg each! Pizarro and his followers sent the gold to Spain, which unevitably ended up in the gaudy roman catholic churches of europe.

Tomorrow is our last day in Cusco, then we take the train to Machu Picchu. So far, no guinea pig!

Lima

We made it! At about one in the morning, we walked through the customs gate to look for our taxi driver, Sr. Sanchez, holding a sign with our name on a white board. We looked, and looked, and even waited out a fight that had to be broken up by the police. But no Sr. Sanchez. We finally agreed to go with a randomn taxi driver who called our hotel to get directions. But suspicously there were no rooms available at the hotel! I spoke with the lady on the phone and told her we had reservations, unfortunately, this is the week of their Independence Day (Fiesta de la Patria) so there is ¨mucho turismo¨ according to the taxi driver and reservations in peru are only ¨chicha.¨ Don´t worry, he said, I know a place that is safe and cheap. Sure enough, he drove us to a little hostal near the Parque Central and woke up the owner (his friend) to give us a room. I was just glad to have a bed, pillow, and blanket. I called this morning to clarify things with our original accommodations...she accidentally reserved our room for the 28 and 29th of august, not july! Luckily they have a room for us tonight so we are on our way...Cusco tomorrow!

Ray Goes to Chicago

This is Ray.

This is Ray's foot...

...after he busted in the Austin airport running over to tell me that they were closing the doors to our gate, even though the monitors in the airport said our flight was delayed 23 minutes. So much for breakfast. We picked up our stuff and ran (I ran, Ray limped) to the plane. Phew!

This is Ray in Chicago, riding the "L" for the first time.


Ray and I meet up with my cousin Melanie for brunch/lunch and drinks. Hmmmm bloody mary.


Pleasantly full, Ray and I start our sight-seeing in the beautiful city of Chicago. We first stopped by the Billy Goat tavern.

Then we hopped on a skyline boat tour of the river and Lake Michigan.



There are a lot more pictures, so I'll have to add them later...on our way out the door to a Cubs game!

Tastes like chicken

I am very excited to try Peruvian food, mainly because I have never had it before and therefore have no expectations. There's supposedly good ceviche and seafood in Mancora, which I love. The one delicacy I will not eat, but which Ray has sworn to try, is guinea pig. Yup, the same furry creature every 7 year old has as a pet (except for me...my parents gave me little sea turtles because I have a fear of rodents):



I consider myself gastronomically brave...I've eaten octupus, squid, sea urchin, goat (several anatomical parts - the Greeks love their goat), lamb, duck, shark, alligator...But the thought of this furry little creature on a plate in front of me is enough to make me a vegetarian.

Layers

I'm trying to pack in layers. The places we are visiting range from 70 to 85 degrees during the day, and down to 20-30 at night (in Cusco). It's basically two trips combined into one: mountain/hiking and beach/laying out. One of the guidebooks had some smart advice: "Bring half as much clothes as you think you need, and bring twice as much money." I guess if there's something I really need I can find it there...

It's so much easier for men to pack, and I don't think it's because women have more clothes, but rather that we need more clothes. Point #1: bras. Trust me, if I didn't need to wear one, I wouldn't. But I do, and they range from sports bras to strapless bras to bras without seams. So which ones do I bring? One of each? I'm certain a good bra is one thing I cannot find in Peru.

Point #2: overgarments. I am more easily affected by changes in weather: I can experience the shivers to a hotflash then back to feeling cold again all within several minutes. I can't wait for menopause. So should I pack front opening things over pull-overs for the convenience? A scarf or a wrap?

Point #3: shoes. Shoes ARE a necessity...who wants to walk around barefoot? The dilemma is which types of footwear to pack...Flip-flops, sandals or both? Boots, tennis shoes or both? Nice shoes for an evening out? Bathroom shoes? Black? Brown? Tan? Leather or rubber? Open toe vs close toe? Compromise and bring a peep toe?

Did I mention everything has to fit into this, which fits in an overhead compartment:

Packing and planning

Ray and I are leaving for vacation on Saturday. We've finalized most of our trip, which is a big relief (for me). Here's a brief itinerary of what we have so far:

July 26 Fly to Chicago (My kind of town...)

July 27 CUBS game at Wrigley Field


July 28 Fly to Toronto to fly down to Lima (ridiculous, but hey it's free)

July 29 Explore Lima. We're tentatively staying at Casa de Baraybar , a "Bed & Breakfast" one block from the Pacific Ocean.

July 30 Fly to Cusco. We'll be staying at the Hostal Balcon, which was originally built in 1630 as a house for a Portuguese merchant and overlooks the city. I'm excited about seeing Cusco and have heard only great things from people who have already travelled there. It was established as the capital of the Inca Empire prior to the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors.

August 3 Train to Aguas Calientes, the pueblo near Machu Picchu. We're staying at Hotel Inti Orquideas for one night. By staying closer to the ruins, we can watch the sunset and be there for the sunrise the next day. More importantly, we miss all those horrendous tour groups.

August 4 Spend one more night in Cusco at El Balcon - our flight to the northern beaches leaves the next day

August 5 Fly from Lima to Piura, on the northern coast near the Peru-Ecuador border. Then we taxi to Mancora. We reserved a bungalow at Soleil Bungalows on the remote end of the beach. We will be here until August 10.

August 10 Fly back to Lima. We'll stay one night at Hostal El Patio .

August 12 Back in Austin! (Hopefully)