Location: Puerto Iguazu, Argentina
A regular-colored cat lying in the sun to tan its belly at Aripuca near Iguazu.
Caturday: Sunbathing cat in Argentina
Tag: travel
#FoodFriday Piscola in Chile
Welcome to YQtravelling’s FoodFriday–the day of the week when I show off some of the lovely eats I had while travelling.
Today’s post is not a food but a drink. Salud!
I used to be allergic to alcohol. I would break out in angry rashes whenever I drink wine or anything with more than 5% alcohol.
However, I treated this allergy by introducing a bit of wine into my body slowly. Now, I don’t break out when I drink glasses of sparkling wine but I still cannot drink too much alcohol.
While I do not drink during meals, I discovered the very delicious Piscola (pisco with Coca Cola) which I do not mind having with my food.
I’ve heard alcohol drinkers call this combination “like rum with Coke”. I don’t know what rum tastes like so I’ll take their word for it.
Besides Piscola, I like Pisco Sour a lot. It’s pisco with lemond and limes (some of my favorite fruits!) and egg white. It’s sour but sweet.
I always finish drinking it before I can take a photo. Drats.
What alcohol do you like to add Coca Cola with?
How I do my hair for long-term travel
While I was planning my round-the-world trip, I had thought seriously about shaving my head before going on the trip. I reasoned that it would cost me less shampoo (but more sun block) and would repulse any potential harasser (along with suitors, I suppose but that is alright).
I googled a few questions to figure out how women can take care of a shaved head. Nothing much appeared as most posts were dedicated to male head shaving and praising the bravery of women who shear their hair for charity.
Alas, I did not shave my head. My mother advised that a bald head will be terribly cold in winter. I also thought that it might attract bad sort of attention, seeing a female person with no hair.
I did not shave my head but went for a really short hair cut. This was for many reasons:
- Less drying time
- Less grooming time (I don’t even use a comb that much)
- Less shampoo
- According to a hoax that is repeatedly circulated on my Facebook wall by others, rapists rarely not target women with short hair. (Pretty bullshit but what the heck.)
Even though I thought the hair style would keep for 4 months, by the end of the second month, my hair was growing past acceptable lengths for short hair.
I looked like I was wearing a ball of iron wool with my tough black hair.
CIY: Cut-it-yourself
Instead of heading to a hairdresser’s, I decided to do it myself.
As you can see, I was using a regular ole scissors which did its job of sniping away the ends. My bangs are still thick now but at least they do not cover my eyes.
Trim it with a razor
One day, I realized that the hair at the back of my neck had crept out and turned into a mini mullet.
The hair was too short to tie up so I decided to snip it off. However, when I was in the hostel bathroom, I realized that I did not bring my scissors. The only sharp thing I had was a razor so I used that instead.
It’s rather difficult using a razor on the back of my head. Many times, I had to look back into the mirror to double check my hair length. But the best way to determine if my hair was cut in a straight line was to feel it.
After felling my neck, I chopped off more hair and now I have a bob again.
Color it yourself
If you want to change your hair color while travelling, here’s a step-by-step post on dying your hair in a hostel.
Further reading:
Go Girl’s Guide post on doing hair for long term travel.
What hairstyle is travel friendly? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
#FoodFriday: How to cook steak in a hostel
Welcome to YQtravelling’s FoodFriday–the day of the week when I show off some of the lovely eats I had while travelling.
Today’s post is a special feature where I give you tips on how to cook yummy steak in a hostel. Let’s eat!
When travelling, eating out at restaurants is a good treat. But if you need to save a few pesos/dollars, cooking will save you more money.
Since I’ve been in Argentina, I’ve cooked steak in my hostel kitchen for about 5 times. My hostel-cooked steak usually costs around 25 peso (S$6) while eating out costs a minimum of 45 pesos (S$11) to more than 100 pesos (S$25).
For this recipe, you will need…
- Steak: Preferably Argentine steak. I choose mine base on how pretty it looks.
- Coarse salt: Larger grains of salt make it easier to see
- Oil
- Frying pan/ Grill
- Watch
- Plates to dirty and plates to serve
Step 1: Season the meat
Rinse the meat and pat dry with kitchen towel (the paper kind, not the cloth).
Pour some oil into the plate and lay the meat on it. Pour more oil on the meat. Sprinkle the oiled meat liberally with salt so that it looks like it’s Edward Cullen under the sun.
If the meat was refrigerated, this is a good time to allow it to be less cold and more room temperature.
I’m not very sure how long the salt should be on but I give it at least 10 minutes.
Step 2: Heat up the pan
If you are using an iron grill, make sure it heats up nicely before you start. I like frying pans too and these don’t take long to heat so I wait about 30 seconds before I cook to heat it up.
Step 3: Cook one side of the meat
Lay the meat in the middle where the fire is. Afterwards DO NOT TOUCH the meat or it will turn out burnt in strange places.
I usually wait about 6 minutes for my one side to be done. The meat usually turns out well done if I do 6 minutes on one side and 4 minutes on the other.
Step 4: Check if your meat bleeds
If your meat starts to ooze blood from the part that is exposed to the air, you are doing a good job.
Step 5: Flip the meat and cook more
When the 6 minutes is up, flip the meat to the other side. The cooked part of the steak should be easily separated from the grill/pan.
Wait another 4 minutes for this side to be done. Then take out the steak.
Step 6: Leave the steak
This is the most difficult part of this meal. After cooking, leave the steak for about 4 to 6 minutes. I read that this allows the juices in the meat to redistribute evenly so the steak is tastier.
I usually distract myself by cooking the other piece of steak because it’s hard not to swallow the hot steak whole when it comes out of the pan.
Step 7: Eat, drink and be merry
After the waiting period is over, it’s time to dig into your meal.
Red wines supposedly go well with steak but it’s your meal so drink whatever your want.
Do you have other hostel recipes to share? Share them in the comments.
Caturday: Let sleeping cats lie
Location: Mykonos, Greece
I found this fluffy bundle in front of my hotel door. At first, I thought it was a dog because of the size but I realized much later that it was a really fluffy cat.
Its tummy was all open for tummy rubs but I think it would claw you instead if you ever tried that.
What’s your favorite sleeping position?
New travel plans! [YQrtw Day 82 Jun 27]
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Today was a really stressful day. I was planning to buy air tickets to Ecuador but the booking site had terrible reviews so I headed down to Avenida Cordoba to TAME Airline’s office.
The guy managing the counter was a younger and more handsome version of Javier Bardem. If I wasn’t as stressed out about my airtickets, I would have secretly fan girled more.
Anyway, I had many problems with the tickets to Ecuador:
- The booking office does not have a credit card machine
- The only way to pay was in Argentine peso at a bank around the corner
- I will need to get money out of the ATM 3 times because of the 1,000 peso limit (My bank might think it’s a fraudulent transaction.)
- The ticket was S$700
- I need a ticket out of Ecuador or Javier Junior cannot sell me a ticket (This can be easily solved though.)
I went straight back to the hostel, forgoing the English tour for Recoleta Cemetery. (I’m rather sad about this.)
I decided that instead of going through the 6 problems I have with buying tickets to Ecuador, I should just head to Chile instead.
So that was how I decided my next destination: Out of stress.
Buying the ticket to Chile
When I first bought my tickets for South America, I bought a flight into Buenos Aires and a flight out of Lima, Peru.
I was worried that the ticket agent might refuse to sell me a ticket because I don’t have a flight out of Chile. I was also worried that the people at the airport might stop me from buyiboarding the plane (horror story from Javier Jr).
What is a person to do at times like this? Book a flight out of Chile. Well, virtually. I’ll explain more after I land in Chile.
After getting all the documents I need, I went for lunch with the Taiwanese girl from the hostel. We had an amazing Peruvian meal which I’ll share sometime later.
After lunch, Iheaded back to Av Cordoba to buy my ticket.
The lady didn’t even look at my air tickets and swiped my credit card for 2,400+ peso (S$600+). There was a second in which I thought about heading back to Javier Jr but thought that it’s too much of a hassle paying for the ticket to Ecuador.
Despite having my Chilean ticket, I was still stressed. Now I have to worry about currency, transportation, accommodation and pronunciation.
It’s very scary leaving a familiar place for a strange land. I feel sad that I wouldn’t be able to go to the Carrefour where the security guard knows me by sight, or buy empanadas from the Downton Abbey Thomas lookalike.
Luckily, I know someone from Twitter who’s now in Santiago. She helped with hostel recommendation and we’re meeting up for dinner. (Hurray for the internet!)
Tour of Palacio Barolo
I still had some pesos with me so I decided to go for the afternoon tour of Palacio Barolo. Even though my language school was in the building, I never got the chance to visit the rest of it.
Palacio Barolo was designed based on Dante’s Divine Comedy. (Don’t ask me what it was about.)
The best part was the view of Buenos Aires.
What should I do in Santiago de Chile? Share your thoughts in the comments section!
How to dye your hair in a hostel [YQrtw Day 80 Jun 25]
Imagine that you are travelling. One day, you thought that your old hair color is kind of boring but you do not have extra cash to go to the saloon to get it colored.
What do you do? DIY (Do-It-Yourself), of course.
Step 1: Buy hair dye
This is the simplest part. Head to the nearest supermarket near you to pick up a bottle of hair dye.
Please note that the hair color displayed on the box will probably not be the result that appears on your hair, especially if you have ink black hair with the texture of iron string.
While you are at the supermarket, it’s good to pick up a few cheap towels for your post-dye hair drying.
Step 2: Read instructions
This part is very important. If your instructions are in a foreign language, get your dictionary out. Or try interpreting the pictures on the instructions, they make sense most of the time.
Step 3: Test for allergic reaction
It’s best to test if you are allergic to the dye mixture. Do this by opening the mixtures and putting a few drops on the inside of your elbow.
If you get rashes, do not use the hair dye solution. Instead, get a new one or don’t dye your hair at all.
If no allergies appear, it’s probably safe for you to use the dye. Give about 24 hours before you start dying your hair to see if any allergic reaction occurs.
Step 4: Prepare your instruments
Besides the hair dye, you should have newspaper or plastic bags as well as dark colored towels around. The newspaper and plastic is to protect the floor from getting stained while the dark colored towel hides dye stains when you dry your hair.
Ask the hostel people if they have dark colored towels. If you are lucky, they might have discolored but clean towels for you to dry your hair with.
Lay the newspaper on the floor or on the sink to prevent the hair dye from coloring anything but your hair.
Step 5: Start the dye job
Follow the instructions in your manual for steps to dye your hair. You might need to shake the dye mixture together or gently slosh them around.
Cover your hair with the mixture and let it sit for as long as the instruction requires you to. During this time, you can read or play games on your smartphone.
Step 6: Rinse it out
When the time is up, rinse off the dye. Rinse until the water from your hair is clear. If the dye comes with conditioner, apply as instructed.
However, no matter how much water you splash on your head, some hairdye will cling to your strands. That is why you need dark colored towels.
Step 7: Admire the result
Since this is the first day of the dye job, you might see a darker color than what was depicted on the box. If you use your imagination enough, the hair color might look like what the box promised.
If that does not work, just let it be and be satisfied that you actually turned your hair from the same tone to the same tone but with dark lowlights.
My newsletter just went out this morning (Buenos Aires time). If you are curious about it, check it out.
Want to receive it the newsletter directly in your mailbox? Sign up now or later.
Have you ever dyed your hair in a hostel? How did it turn out?
Settling back in Buenos Aires [YQrtw Day 79 Jun 24]
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
The bus from Iguazu was supposed to reach Buenos Aires at 10am. In the end, we reached at 12:30 noon. It didn’t matter to me since I was jobless and schoolless.
While on the bus, I managed to conquer my motion sickness and write up a few disjointed blog posts. At times like these, I really wish I have 3G internet so I can surf the web.
When our bus arrived at our destination, there was a group photo. Try squinting to see me.
I took the same bus as I did coming back from the US embassy. It felt strange to look at this city which I’ve been in for about 3 weeks. I recognized some of the street names and some shop fronts looked familiar.
I headed back to my old hostel. Now I have a new bed space, the furthest away from the window (Hurray!) and has a less saggy mattress.
I spent most of the afternoon on the bed, trying to get a nap. It didn’t work.
In the end, I walked to the supermarket for dinner. As usual, I bought steak (it’s just so cheap here!) and half a head of cabbage because it was cheap (S$1 per kilo!) and I need my fiber after countless suppers of steak.
While I was preparing my steak, the hostel receptionist who was from Buenos Aires gave many tips for cooking steak:
- Beat the meat to tenderize it (I’m sure he didn’t mean it that way.)
- Cooking in on an iron grill (and not the frying pan I was using.)
- Pair the steak with a strong Malbec (not the wimpy rosada Malbec that I got.)
Anyway, my steak turned out awesome even without his tips. Still, I might take his advice when I’m cooking my next meal.
The rest of the night was spent preparing my newsletter and looking at random things on the internet. I should start planning touristy trips out of the hostel.
What do you want me to do in Buenos Aires?
Cost of travel in Dubai
After Sri Lanka’s cheap living expenses, I reached Dubai. The place was rather expensive so I skipped touristy things like sand duning and desert trips, spending most of my time reading.
Dubai’s travel costs
In April 2013, Dubai’s exchange rate was around 3 dirhams to 1 Singapore dollar.
I changed my dirhams at Changi Airport before flying out to Singapore.
I figured that having some Dubai cash in hand before landing is a good idea since my plane arrive past 11pm.
Summary
| Total spent (dirhams) | # of days | Daily average |
| 1166.50 | 5 | 233.30 |
By Category
| Accomo | Transport | Food | Museums/ sites | SIM |
| 820 | 70.5 | 163.25 | 15 |
Stat
Duration: 5 days
Photos taken: 451 photos
Books read in Dubai: Several books from Song of Ice and Fire
Random
Best dish: Shawarma! [I didn’t expect to see that many reincarnations of this dish for the rest of my trip but I did in Greece and Istanbul.]
Favorite part about Dubai: Air-conditioning
Biggest surprise: Dubai felt very familiar. It was like Singapore but with a lot of heat and sand. The place was eerily clean and the buildings in the CBD were shiny metallic.
Worst experience: Receiving a note under my door on my first night. I didn’t mention it in my blog posts because it felt too scary then.
Biggest rip off: Dubai 3G price. It was so expensive that I refused to buy 3G for my phone.
Biggest regret: Staying in Dubai for so long. Accommodation price in Dubai was really crazy. I booked an AirBnb accommodation and that took up 70 percent of my total spending.
Related posts:
Chilling in Iguazu/ Back to Buenos Aires [YQrtw Day 78 Jun 23]
Location: Puerto Iguazu, Argentina
The day started out well with the sun peaking out of the clouds. I woke up well before the other 8 in our room to join another girl from our room for breakfast.
It was the first time during the trip that I got to eat the scrambled eggs. Everytime I reach the breakfast area, the eggs were gone.
At the end of breakfast, my nose started to run. I didn’t need to chase for it but I downed a cup of hot water with Panadol for cold and flu sachet, just to be safe.
On today’s itinerary was Paraguay or the zoo. I did not have my passport and I did not want to see animals in cages so I skipped both and stayed in the room.
A lot of others were also in bed. From 10:30am to 4pm, I laid in different positions on the bed, trying to catch the light to read my Kindle after I got bored with surfing the internet.
It was raining rather heavily, making the room extra chilly. I had to wrap myself in my coat and the thin blanket to try to stay warm.
Finally, the bus arrived at about 4pm. The folks who went to Paraguay reported that they only walked to the bank and back. I guess I was lucky I didn’t have to do that.
When I dragged my things to the bus, I found out that the seat I used to sit in in the lower deck of the bus was taken. I had to sit on the upper deck.
Luckily, everyone seemed to be tired out and there was no partying on the upper deck. We watched the first 3/4 of The Impossible.
Throughout the movie, I kept being annoyed that it was a movie focusing on white people when the whole affect area was in Asia. Only the sight of Ewan McGregor kept me from throwing an empty cup at the tiny screen.
The movie was paused when our bus stopped at a rest stop for dinner at around 10pm. Here, I drank another flu medicine to prevent the cold and flu from attacking.
Back on the bus, the movie continued. When the [SPOILER] family united [/SPOILER], some people on the bus clapped. They also clapped when the movie ended which I thought was quite funny.
The next movie was The Notebook. Even though I like Ryan Gosling, the whole story makes me go URGH and I couldn’t finish watching. I did like the parts where James Marsden was in.
Unfortunately, the movie was a strong doze of sleep medicine for me and I managed to doze off in my seat. When I woke up, it was the next day.
YQtravelling 