Nando Parrado’s story on the 72 days spent in the
Andes and the long trek home may not have hit book shelves yet, but it has most certianly hit my heart. Outside magazine has an exclusive excerpt from Miracle in the
Andes in their current issue with only a small fraction of the piece available online. For me the story is still
fairly new, others may vaguely remember, some might find it hard to forget, but Outside names it one of the greatest
epics of all time. The year was 1972 when a plane carrying a young Uruguayan rugby squad crashed in the Andes leaving
the survivors stranded and forcing them to subsist on the bodies of their friends. Nando Parrado, hero of the saga,
tells the awe-inspiring tale 34 years later in his book Miracle in the Andes to
hit shelves on May 9, 2006. If the piece found online isn’t enough for you make sure you scoop up the latest Outside
for more or check out the Q&A
with the author who touches on his recent return to the crash site, the book & movie Alive, as well his strange attraction to ice axes and
crampons.
South America
Travel through South America by country:
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela
Travel through South America by popular city:
Bogota, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro
Travel through South America by popular things to do:
Adventures in the Amazon, Falkland Islands, Iguazu Falls, Tierra del Fuego
Foreign Language Scrabble
This blurb is
going to officially mark me as a foreign language geek, but what do I care. Those who know me well know I love games
and the competitive spirit runs through every vein in my body. My two favorite indoor weekend games happen to be a good
round of Spades and a wordy, hours-long, game of Scrabble. And anyone out there who has played Scrabble in the past
knows how grueling the last few minutes can be when you’ve got only the letters X, B, V, I, and H in your possession.
The board is locked up with the exception of the most unwelcoming tiles jutting out and you’re about ready to scream
"why me?! Why did I get stuck with the X, Y, and Z?" You refrain from doing such as Scrabble is a
sophisticated game so you switch gears promising to place the most incredible, unbelievable, prodigious, and astounding
four letter word known to man down on the board. Everything goes quiet; your tiles hit the board and spell the word
"XINH."
Your opponent who isn’t as skilled in Vietnamese as you happen to be raises a
high-brow before telling you to remove that junk from the board, but you plead stating the word’s meaning and use in
Vietnam where you once heard it the streets somewhere. It’s times like these when a little foreign lingo Scrabble board could sure come in handy. For those
multilingual folks out there wanting to slam a huge word in Hebrew down in Scrabble, there is a list you may wish to check out. The list not only tells you some
of the various languages you can purchase Scrabble in, but also
points you to sites online where you can play with other people across the world and other interesting facts.
Word for the Travel Wise (04/13/06)
Should you want to know the correct
way to eat while in Brazil you better check this Maria-Brazil site out. The author of the piece
describes what is usually eaten during breakfast, lunch and dinner and how most are served in Brazil. She also offers
the appropriate thing to do when stopping at a snack bar or juice bar in Rio, which is to stand around until you have
finished your food. Apparently it is NOT OKAY to eat food on the go. In Brazil it is considered rude to eat in places
that are not meant for eating. Hmm… Sure glad I stumbled upon this piece before going off to the country and gobbling
down the delicious fare while walking down the street. I’ve been known to do that in my own neighborhood.
Today’s word is a Portuguese word used in Brazil:
lanchonete –
snack bar
Easy Portuguese online offers a small
dictionary of useful words, useful phrases, and a couple of short lessons to get you started. Most have audio clips
including our word for the day found here. Portuguese Language dot net has excellent historical info on the language
and numerous tools to help you get motivated and be successful at learning the 6th most spoken language. For Portuguese heard in Portugal you can download mp3
audio from BBC, which I’m sure there are several similarities between the two countries. Those interested in classroom
study abroad can click here for more info at Franco Americano.
Past Portuguese words: xixi, bronzeador
The Meat of the Matter in Argentina
Years ago when I was making my way with a backpack through Argentina, I
made a stop along the road in a dusty little town whose name escapes me. I took a short stroll through the town’s
streets, which took a mere minute or so, and dropped into a run-down, uninviting-looking restaurant on a lonely corner.
When the waiter asked what I wanted, my first inclination was to have the roast chicken.
That sounded just
fine, a perfect way to get a belly full of lunch before tossing my guitar back over my should and continuing up the
road. But then the word parrilla caught my eye, and I
thought "a steak? for lunch? why not?!" Now, you might say, duh, everyone knows Argentina is steak country,
but I wasn’t thinking clearly. I’d just spent four hours on the road and a steak just didn’t seem like the thing to
order. Well, that steak, and several subsequent parillas, remain the best meat I have ever had. Even today, after many
trips to Peter Luger’s in Brooklyn, I’ve yet to find a cut of beef that matched those I had in Argentina. And I love to
eat steak.
And so I was intrigued and delighted to read this homage to Argentinean steak over at
an obscure little journal called idleword. I cold go on and on about the heavenly gustatory bliss of chewing a piece of
bloody cow flesh, but I’ll let the writer here, and the accompanying photos do it for me. Suffice it say, my belly
is rumbling as I write and my fond memories of those succulent cuts are nearly as vivid as the day of that first beefy
meal.
Sleeping on Airplanes
Falling asleep on
moving objects has never been an issue for me. If I’m not the one in the driver’s seat it’s safe to say I’ll be out
cold until the final destination has been reached. Buses, trains, planes, you name it – sleeping on each has been
something I’ve trained myself to do. For the most part it keeps me from getting "are we there yet"
syndrome and makes time fly a whole lot faster. However, I have to admit snagging my zzz’s on planes can sometimes be a
little embarrassing. Let’s start with the strange gravitational pull that somehow keeps my mouth wide open like a
stuffed bass mounted on someone’s trophy wall. (I know I’m not the only one.) Neck pillow or no neck
pillow I always seem to become a real life bobble head and many times I find myself being nudged by the passenger next
to me to either wake up or get the hell off their shoulder. I don’t know how many times I’ve apologized in the past for
managing to sleep so well on planes at my poor neighbor’s expense, but such is my sleeping style.
Now all of
this brings me to a fine piece of ‘sleeping on plane how-to’ from Independent Traveler, who
better understands that not everyone can nap so well on board. The folks at the Independent title the time spent on
planes "a modern Purgatory for the living" and offer tips on how to close your eyes and make it all
go away. You know – crying babies, the bearded woman, or the poser pretending to chug along on his laptop for some very
important deadline. Yes, just make it go away! Here are some of their tips
with my own two cents.
- Get seat savvy. Learn which ones are the best and worst seats for getting
shut-eye on your red-eye. - Keep the carry-on luggage to a minimum since they take away from your
precious legroom. - Coffee? Are you kidding! Skip it.
- Fight for pillows and blankets if you
have to. Board early and to get yours from the overhead bin if it’s going to help you sleep in peace. - Turn
the neck pillow around for chin support. (Never thought of that one!) - If taking off your shoes, know the
rules. They’ve got the basics listed. - Give the bookworm beside you a nasty glare if they choose to use the
light. Make it known you’re trying to sleep.
Several others which include the use of drugs, headphones and
seat reclining etiquette are listed as well. Whether you have troubles sleeping on planes or not I encourage everyone
to check this piece out.
If you’ve got a moment share a tale from one of your flights. What’s your in-flight sleep style like?