I departed Nova Petropolis at 6:30 am. There were so many more things to see in Rio Grande do Sul, of that I was sure. But I had to get on the road, appreciate the tight curves and tailgaters for one last time. The nearly two hour drive back to the airport in Porto Alegre was relatively uneventful, fortunately. I’d chosen to fly with Gol for my entire trip, though I realized after I bought my tickets that it might have been better to mix up my … [Read more...]
Brazilian Cachaça Trip, Day 4: Harmonie Schnapps and Velho Alambique
On Friday morning, I headed to Harmonie Schnapps. I’d set up this visit before I’d left Brasilia and was excited to visit a distillery that had received so much praise from members of the cachaça community. Harmony, was a short, pleasant drive from Nova Petropolis. I left the clogged main roads and found myself on tranquil, well-maintained thoroughfares. Google hadn’t steered me wrong yet, and a little before 9:30 am, I saw that I was but a … [Read more...]
Pan-Atlantic Adventures in the Rainforest
A sense of dread seeps from my shoulders down to my knees. I tried to pull and shake the bolt, each time more frantically. And just like that, I was trapped in a corrugated steel toilet in front of my husband and a group of 8 people I didn’t know. Outside the toilet I had another problem. Happy tourists with an easy confidence introduced themselves to me and made light conversation. I edged my way through them to stand in comfortable silence … [Read more...]
Brazilian Cachaça Trip, Day Three: Canela
Gramado and Canela were two cities that I didn’t have much interest in visiting. I’d stayed in Gramado toward the end of 2018 with my family. It’s a town that is popular among Brazilians and notable for its effort to create a Northern-Hemisphere-Christmas-Atmosphere year-round, as well as its plethora of chocolate shops. Canela is a more relaxed cousin of Gramado, with a similar affinity for chocolate, without the Christmas spirit. I hadn’t … [Read more...]
Brazilian Cachaça trip Day Two-Rio Grande do Sul: Casa Bucco and beyond
I bounded out of bed on that second day. It was after 7, later than I’d expected to sleep. I opened the curtains in my room to let in the bright sun. A bright blue, cloudless sky greeted me. Breakfast at the pousada was traditional: a range of cakes, breads, and sandwich makings, as well as fresh fruit, juice, and coffee. With an urge to get on the road, knowing that it would take me almost two hours to reach Casa Bucco, I ate with … [Read more...]
Brazilian Cachaça Trip–Rio Grande do Sul, Day One (cont.): Nova Petropolis
It was late afternoon when I left Weber Haus. On the twisting roads, cars tailgated me. Geez, I get it. You guys like to go fast around tight curves. Small towns appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, with homes and other buildings popping with bright pastel colors. Unfortunately, I couldn’t much turn my head to get a clear glimpse at most of these places, because if I had, I probably would have either gotten rear-ended, or run off the road. It … [Read more...]
Brazilian Cachaça Trip–Rio Grande do Sul, Day One (cont.): Weber Haus
Weber Haus is an increasingly big name in the cachaça community. It’s one of the few so-called artisanal cachaças that I can find at supermarkets such as Pão de Açúcar. With a burgeoning reputation, I was excited, that first day of travel, to visit the distillery to learn more about where they came from, where they are currently, and where they see themselves going in the near future. The parking lot was empty in the middle of the afternoon. … [Read more...]
Cachaça Trip, Day One, Part One—Brasilia, Porto Alegre, Ivoti
I awoke as the orange rays of the sun bled through my bedroom window. Nerves always eat at me before I travel, and so it wasn’t surprising for me to rise early. Day one of my cachaça trip. There were so many unknowns. I shuffled around my apartment, ensuring my belongings were together, made my coffee, and ate a bit of breakfast. By the time that was done, my wife and kids were up. Besides being a travel day, it also happened to be my kids’ … [Read more...]
Route of the Wine, Salta Argentina
Spanning some 500 km of mostly dirt roads, the Salta Route of the Wine is roughly triangular in shape. The largest community by far, Salta is on the northernmost point of this 'triangle' with tiny towns anchoring the other two points including Cafayate and Molinos. Our drive of this route begin in Salta >> Cafayate >> Molinos/Bodega Colome >> back to Salta. Allow at least 5 to 7 days. Start your epic wine journey in Salta - rent a car at the … [Read more...]
Misadventures of a Gringo in Colombia
Upon leaving the unexpectedly small Cartagena airport, I was welcomed by a huge billboard featuring a Colombian Elvis impersonator. The other passengers who had also just arrived were poppin’ into little yellow micro-machine cabs and spinning off into their own assorted narratives. I stood and watched their numbers dwindle. Soon I was one of only a few prey left for the desperate transportation peddlers. A husky, determined Colombian man … [Read more...]
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