Mexico City

over president's day weekend, i decided to leave the frigid 20 degree F weather of new york for somewhere a little warmer... what better location than mexico city, DF! the cultural and historical heart of aztec-spanish-mexican culture. a 5 hour plane ride (and three chapters into Peter Hessler's River Town) later, i landed in the city.

view from the hilton

first meal- iced coffee, steak (asada?) and rice. the avacado was a nice touch, and would be seen in nearly every meal. luckily i love avacado and guac...

palacio de bellas artes- museum/ opera house/ theater. great works of diego rivera inside. and beautiful from the exterior of course
aztec ruins in the middle of the city! when unearthed, a couple blocks of the city were torn down for further excavation

interior of la catedral. the biggest in the americas. and slowly sinking into the ground i might add

palacio nacional by plaza de la constitucion- third largest square in the world

fried plantains, mole (chicken in an unsweetened chocolate sauce), and more guac!

amazing view from the hotel at night

bascilia gaudalupe- holiest sight for catholics in latin america, and most visited too

interior of the new basilica guadalupe. designed so there is no need for air conditioning- cool air is drawn in from the base and rises through the top

selling volcanic stone to us- many were carved into turtles, masks, etc and decorated with gold leaf or aztec jade

TEOTIHUACAN! an hour out of the city, compeltely worth the trip!!

massive pyramids... completely out of breath when i reached the top of the first flight of stairs. (there were a half dozen or so more sets of stairs to go)

breathtaking view from the top

a saturday evening wedding

dessert! mostly candied yams, sugar glazed fruits

frida kahlo museum

mexico city at night

street vendors- i love the tacos and enchiladas

fruit roll up candies in chapultepec park- 5 pesos

salsa, fried potato strips, cactus, and pork, with pepsi. nothing better

trip wouldnt be complete without RBD's live concert dvd :D

overall- great weather, friendly people, three peso (SUPER CLEAN) subway, lots of sights and sounds and flavors. great weekend trip!

Buenos Aires Spring 2010

50 weeks ago... i embarked on an NYU sponsored trip to buenos aires. and since this took place 50 weeks ago i cant remember the names of anything (other than the clubs, sadly- kika and hummer). just photos...

Taipei!!!!!!!

My last trip in Asia was a ten day adventure in and around Taipei late December 2009. My agenda for the excursion was mostly for visiting family and friends, and also to pig out one last time before heading back to the states. I’ve visited numerous times before when I was younger, but always with family and I never really got to explore much on my own. However, I flew in solo this time and had a much more relaxed and flexible schedule for the days I stayed.

Taiwan is known for its street food and night markets. My uncle whisked me from the airport straight to XiMenDing, a popular hangout for hipsters and yuppies. I indulged in what I recall being a flat mozzarella cheese bing drizzled in a tart mayonnaise sauce.

Also fell in love with the newest baddest drink: bitter melon juice with honey. Its supposed to be loaded with antioxidants (as are all bitter fruits nowadays) and good for the skin.

And tried some more tropical fruits I had never seen in my life.

I checked out the Taipei101 and its mall, the tallest occupied building in the world (dubai’s tower post-crisis is empty for time being) The observatory had a splendid view of the city and the surrounding mountains and clouds.

During the mornings and afternoons I wandered from street to street, temple to temple enjoying the rare moments of sun.

I took the super clean subway out to Danshui, the boardwalk/ arcade/ game/ food paradise on the northern tip of Taipei. They included fishing for live goldfish, clawing at stuffed bears, devouring pork ribs and sour plum juice, and throwing darts onto balloons (which garnered me a watermelon-styled ball, which I later lost during my nap on the bench overlooking the sea, though I suspect a child couldn’t resist gleefully running off with a prize he/she didn’t win).

I went hiking on the mountains walking distance from the city center of Taipei, and was rewarded with splendid views of the city and sole skyscraper.

I took a trip to MaGao Shen Mu Park, or celestial forest park with gigantic trees several centuries old high in the mountain.

Also took a bike tour of the city out to Ba Li, another harbor north of Taipei. We stopped in some temples along the way before taking a lunch break in a traditional tea house.

Last tour: Jiu Fen, an old miner’s town now converted into the Santorini of Taiwan. The town zigzagged across a hillside, and cafes, pashmina shops, tea houses, and restaurants lined the streets overlooking the sea. Surely a splendid view, if the sky were clear.

Last shots on my Nikon s560 from 2009:
Japanese bone broth noodle

Delicious iced treat by XiMenDing