Top casinos to visit when travelling in South America

February 25, 2014 Alex South America No comments

South America is an incredibly interesting place to visit with all its different cultures spread across many different countries you’re sure to find something that is both interesting and exciting to visit and do. Just like any other continent everywhere you go people will be slightly different but in South America most places are very welcoming. One thing you might not think about doing while visiting South America is gambling at a casino however there are many casinos spread all across South America and this is something that some of the countries rely on for tourism.

Interestingly enough Mexico is now one of those countries that has a large amount of gambling tourists visiting it due to the laws been changed on gambling in 2004. What this meant is since then there have been many people investing in Mexico creating large mega-casinos for people to visit and enjoy on their holidays. In 2008 a casino names the Caliente Casino was built and opened, this is the largest casino in Mexico with many thousands of different electronic games as well is hundreds of table games to suit anyone’s needs in a casino. This is a definite must visit if you want to play casino games in South America.

If you’re looking for a little more history in the casinos you visit then why not looking Uruguay as they have a casino named the Conrad that has a loss of history as well as a decor similar to those casinos found in Monte Carlo. Even though it is an old casino the, still has an impressive floor as it has over 600 electronic games with many table games as well. All of this together means the, is a great place to visit if you enjoy casinos will ability history.

The best St. Kitts restaurants

January 27, 2014 Alex food, Nevis, St. Kitts, tips, Uncategorized No comments

Spending 9 days exploring the hidden gems of the paradise islands St. Kitts and Nevis, we were also making our way through them tasting both the local and the luxurious restaurants. I put up a list of the best ones when going all around St. Kitts.

The best St. Kitts restaurants:

El Fredo’s restaurant

Located on Bay Road in Basseterre is a locally owned restaurant with local specialties and local beer. If you are a fish lover, order the super tasty Creole Fish of the day. I had the famous Mahi Mahi for lunch with rice, beans, vegetables and a fresh fruit punch. We were served by the very friendly Jasmine, the tall owner of the restaurant and then had a chat with her husband Kenneth who just came by to check if everything was ok and we were enjoying the food. We randomly asked him about all the Welsh flags hanging on the walls of the restaurant, and found out a very interesting story behind it.

”I was born on St. Kitts but when I was 14, we moved to Wales. Later on, I met Jasmine there whose family was from St. Kitts but she was living in Wales. We married, moved to St. Kitts and opened this restaurant.” started with their family story Kenneth Francis.

Jasmine was able to visit her grandparents here on the island as they still lived there 30 years ago.

”We named the restaurant El Fredo’s after my auntie” continued Kenneth with a smile on his face which was not showing any wrinkles even though he was a father of 2 grown-up boys and 2 girls living all around the world now (in Wales, Vancouver, London and one on St. Kitts).

Kenneth, a cricket player years ago, was now very happy to serve delicious local dishes to both the locals and travelers. I took a quick snap of Kenneth and Jasmine for a memory.

Check out El Fredo’s Facebook page, they don’t have a website yet.

Spice Mill

I think this was my favorite dinner place on St. Kitts especially when it comes to its setting. Personally I would definitely make Spice Mill one of the top 2 St. Kitts restaurants. Situated at Cockleshell Beach with stunning views of Nevis island and Mount Nevis on the horizon during the day and then the lights far away make it very romantic too. You can also witness amazing sunsets from here just before your dinner!

When we came in, I was really in awe. Coconut wood-top, indigenous arts, natural material and all designed in a very original Amerindian way. The restaurant’s interior is actually a Kalinago dug out canoe, custom built by the Caribs of Dominica! Spice Mill is definitely the Kittitian restaurant with the nicest interior.

The food is very authentic too. You really feel like in the heart of the Caribbean. My friends also enjoyed some drinks and wine, I kept staring at the unique chandeliers when sipping on my juice.

There’s a lot to discover at Spice Mill, check out their website for more.

Carambola Beach Club restaurant

Opened since December 2011 in South Friar’s Bay where the general manager Chris Evelyn is making sure everything works fine. A local owns it, so it is locally managed too. 99% of all people having lunch here are the cruisers so they come here and mostly stay on the beach too after they have lunch.

I enjoyed the ambiance of Carambola Beach Club – we walked in, then spent some time at the very pretty beach, had some fun in the waves, enjoyed our fresh drinks and then head inside to cool down for lunch.

As soon as I saw sushi on the menu, I was sold. We could even watch the cooks preparing our sushi right there! There’s a European chef with Asian influence which makes up for an interesting menu.

Carambola Beach Club restaurant has an exotic feel to it, it’s a very open restaurant with a lot of fresh air coming in. You can eat both indoor or outdoor. Soon they are expanding to residences on the beach too where you will be able to stay for a night.

Check out Carambola Beach Club Facebook page for the menu and other news.

Reggae Beach Bar

I really loved its location. It was the first place where we had lunch so I was thrilled to get to the beach after a few winter months back in Europe. Reggae beach Bar is located right on the beach at Cockleshell Bay on the South East Peninsula just 9 miles from Basseterre, the capital of St. Kitts.

The beach looks like heaven, there’s sun beds, you can swim and even watch cruises passing by on the horizon. Then just walk a few metres to get in the shade of the restaurant. Drinks and tasty fish were on our table very quickly.

I also enjoyed looking up to the ceiling reading the messages about love, life and happiness.

Check out Reggae Beach Bar website for more info.

Ottley’s Plantation Inn

Restored 18th century sugar plantation run by a family. Very laid back place and fun at the same time. The plantation stands out for its amazing swimming pool set in between historic plantation building walls. We spent a few hours there, first with drinks and then tasting fresh local food and drinks at The Royal Palm surrounded by palm trees with the view of the ocean. Fresh salads, Mexican dishes and even many special Caribbean meals were on the menu, yay! What a pleasant place to chill out!

Check out Ottley’s Plantation Inn website to find out more.

Mr. X’s Shiggidy Shack

Situated in Frigate Bay just a few metres from Timothy beach resort where we were staying, it’s one of the most-known bars and restaurants on St. Kitts. I cannot say it was my favorite one though. It took ages to get a table, it was so busy! And then it took long again for our meals to arrive but with so many guests, it makes sense.

Thankfully, the sound of the sea waves and a show with local kids dancing and then a fireshow made it for an interesting time. I also liked sitting under the stars. And the name of the restaurant just always makes me smile.

Check out Mr. X’s Shiggidy Shack Facebook.

Marshall’s Restaurant

Thumbs up for the very fine dining at this restaurant. I really enjoyed our round table as we finally could see each other very well when trying to chat in between the meals and not sticking around to talking just to those sitting next to us 🙂

The pool and all the lights around it were very nice. And the chef said hi to us when we were leaving, so thoughtful!

Ballahoo restaurant

The best thing about this restaurant is its location in the historic centre of Basseterre which makes up for really nice views of the area. At night time it’s very romantic with many different lights all around.

I enjoyed my mango smoothie and you can even order Mexican quesadillas! Or many local dishes such as fish of the day with veggies, chicken or sea food.

Check out more about Ballahoo restaurant.

Looking for Indian food on St. Kitts? Then check out Bombay Blues Restaurant. I am not the biggest fan of it as I do not like spicy meals and almost everything is spicy for me.

How about an afternoon tea with a rum tour at Fairview Great House?

Many thanks to St. Kitts Tourist Board and all the mentioned restaurants for treating me like a star. All the opinions in this article are my own as usual.

*** It took me more than 10 hours to write this post.

Interview with Where is Your Toothbrush?

January 22, 2014 Alex interview No comments

Let me introduce you to a sweet couple traveling around the world and writing about it. It would not be anything new if the guy was not Slovak like me :)) And they blog on Where is Your Toothbrush?

1. Who are you? Tell us something about you.

We are Peter Korchnak and Lindsay Sauvé, a couple on a trip around the world. Peter is from Slovakia, Lindsay from California, U.S.A.

We met in the Netherlands in 2002—travel is really built into our relationship. Our one-year (or longer) trip is a culmination of a dream we had for almost the entire 8 years we lived in Portland, Oregon. Now home is where our toothbrushes are: we make ourselves at home anywhere.

We are also both writers and are using the trip to pursue our creative careers. We write the blog Where Is Your Toothbrush?, which we’ll be turning into a book; we have each started working on our debut novels; and we freelance as much as possible.

2. What is your favorite place, city and country and why? (all three of them)

Peter: I believe in, “Wherever you go, there you are.” Every place I find myself is my favorite in the moment, or at least I aim to make it so. Right now (January 2014) we are in George Town, Malaysia, which I loved from Day 1. We’re especially enjoying the wonderful variety of cuisines on offer all over: Malay, Chinese, Indian…

But I’ve managed to find travel bliss in places that were a little more difficult to love at first. For example, in Istanbul it took us two weeks to finally settle in and find some cool spots: the quays in small towns along the Bosphorus Strait; Macka Park; or Osman’s cafe operating out of a broken-down truck on a vacant lot by the Karakoy water taxi station on the Golden Horn.

My favorite city on the trip so far is Sarajevo because of its unique blend of cultures, tumultuous history, and stories people share. My favorite country other than my homeland Slovakia is my adopted homeland, the United States of America. It is way more diverse than people think, both in terms of culture and landscape. You could spend your life traveling just there. And it’s where Lindsay’s from.

Lindsay: My favorite place to be is in a forest. I prefer the company of trees. A forest is a place where I am feel instantly calm, present, and alive.

As far as cities and countries, it’s hard to pinpoint just one. I both love and hate certain things about all cities. I am in awe of Paris, its cafes, its astounding beauty, the beautiful Parisians themselves, but I dislike the traffic, crowds, noise, and the high prices. Every city for me has its positives and negatives and the same with countries.

3. If you could go anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would it be and why?

Peter: I’d love to follow summer around the world. George Town is like that right now and all the time, I’m told. Part of me also wants to visit North Korea because of the mystery that shrouds it, but I know I’d just be taken around the nice parts by government minders and not get anywhere near the real country. Other than that, I’d like to visit more off-the-beaten path places that haven’t been turned into theme-park versions of themselves, Albania again, and Burma or Colombia.

Lindsay: The Maldives, because from photos they look so out-of-this world beautiful. And I love islands, beaches, and sun and, at the rate our climate is going, they won’t be around much longer. If I were to go anywhere right now that we’ve been on our trip so far it would be back to Greece. Despite its problems, it has the right combination of city, nature, sun, great food, and a culture that seems to know how to work hard and play hard. But a lot of countries have these same great elements.

4. What do you love the most about your home country?

Peter: The mountains, especially the High Tatras. I’ve visited bigger mountain ranges and will visit more still, but the Tatras can’t be beat. Not only are they beautiful and magical, they equate with home. There simply isn’t a better feeling than to climb a peak like Kriváň, or any place high up for that matter, and looking over the valleys down below and mountain ranges in the distance. You’re on Earth but also in the sky, you’re both in Slovakia and on top of the world.

Lindsay: My family and friends. Making a home around the world has taught me that I can live anywhere, but it’s people that really connect you to a place. I also love the natural, diverse beauty of the United States, especially the West Coast, where I’m from.

5. How has travel changed you?

Peter: I’ve been traveling since I was in diapers (my parents would hide foreign currency in them to avoid confiscation by customs). Even under socialism, I visited five different countries before I started elementary school. Travel is such a part of me that until very recently I could not say how it had changed me. Rather, I can say how much not traveling internationally (Canada doesn’t count) when I was trying to make it in the U.S. changed me: I lived with a feeling something was missing from my life, as if a part of me was atrophying. I only realized this once we hit the road on this trip.

Since our Southeast Asia leg of the trip, I’m also realizing more and more that the world is a big and amazing place and I am but one of many billions of people living in it. I am becoming more humble as a result, in awe of if all.

Lindsay: I first traveled outside the United States when I was 23. Before that, I hadn’t done much by myself. I was always had friends, family, boyfriends, coworkers, etc. to rely on. Traveling taught me how to be self-reliant, and how to get things done on my own. Traveling also taught me what it’s like to be an outsider. It’s humbling to not be always understood, in control, and in your element.

The best restaurants in San Francisco

January 20, 2014 Alex food, North America, USA No comments

10 days in San Francisco were really enough to fall in love with San Francisco so much, it became my second favorite city in the world. It is also because its delicious food at every corner.

The best restaurants in San Francisco:

B44 Catalan Bistro

Definitely one of my top restaurants because I love Catalan cuisine. I had dinner there twice, even had my own cute little table by the window and left with a full satisfied stomach. The owner is always there smiling and he even gave me the best CD with SF and Barcelona songs! Both cities are my top 2 places in the world so I see there is no coincidence in this world 🙂

I highly recommend trying:

starters:

salad Empedrat – bacalao, baby white beans, salad olivada

Escivada Tapas – warm roasted vegetables, cabrales, pine nuts, roasted garlic oil – a traditional vegetarian dish which denominates the process of grilling the food, BBQ usually done in Costa Brava from February to April. Here in the restaurant charcoal is added to olive oil to make it taste like grilled.

main dishes:

Paella hortelana – saf from rice, mushrooms, vegetables, red bell pepper, pine nuts, currants

Ahi tuna – a la plancha, avocado, baby lentil salad, soy and cava vinaigrette

desserts:

Lionesas del Penedes – cream puffs, ice cream, warm cocoa sauce, toasted almonds)

tarta de chocolate y platano – warm chocolate, black pepper and banana tart, creme anglaise, candied walnuts

Plouf

Just a few metres from B44. Very French and stylish with also some Italian desserts. I had 2 dinners in Plouf too. Fresh bread with butter and the lovely atmosphere (and if you drink a glass of delicious wine) are the best to start with. I really liked the lights and the candles on the tables and the energetic waiters. The owner is very professional too. And there’s a super guy working behind the bar 🙂

Out of many salads, sea food and meat Plouf specializes in, I chose my favorite quinoa with artichokes, also fish with a salad and very yummy dessert.

Trattoria Pinocchio

For sure my favorite Italian restaurant in San Francisco. I was there twice as well, once for lunch and once for dinner with my friend Annette from Bucket List Journey. We also met with the owners Maria and Giovanni, they are both so cute! It reminded me of my days living in Brindisi, Italy – the atmosphere, the best meals ever, and just everything Italian. Hard to say no to it.

We had A LOT of food here! Starters, pasta, desserts … all delicious and home-made. Giovanni brought really great recipes from his homeland back in Europe. And when it comes to desserts, you can choose from home-made cannoli, tartufo, chocolate mousse, tiramisu, vanilla creme brule or poached pear al cioccolato.

Westfield San Francisco Centre

I ate in the Food Emporium (vegan food and Buckhorn were my favorite ones offering huge tasty salads), Cupola Italian restaurant (one of the Restaurant Collection Under the Dome) and drank as many healthy Jamba Juice as possible there. Buckhorn restaurant for huge portions of healthy salads in Westfield shopping mall. There is so much to choose from in Westfield, all the different cuisines from around the world and surprisingly, the Food Emporium is not expensive at all.

John’s Grill

This was the first restaurant I had dinner at in San Francisco, it’s also one of the oldest and most famous ones in the city. The walls inside are covered with photos of the city patrons, and furnishings from Old San Francisco. Many celebrities come to dine here. And of course me and my friend TJ from Mighty Travels had a yum dinner here too.

As the name suggests, John’s Grill offers mostly steaks and seafood but as I am not a fan of those, I picked fresh fish with veggies and potatoes. It was so tasty! And the heaven on Earth, the chocolate dessert with berries was just about to come!

Lovejoy’s Tea Room

There is no bigger tea fanatic in this world than me, trust me. So when I found out about Lovejoy’s Tea Room place, I was happier than a kid getting the favorite toy. I spent a few hours there with a friend of mine Monica I met at the hostel.

It already started as a lovely time when I saw our table – it said Reserved for the Queen. Yay! At least for a second I felt important 😀 But it was the name of the menu we ordered. We could choose tea, sandwiches, and a lot of sweet treats to go along with. Everything was finger-licking, trust me. Thank God for some fresh fruit and organic veggies too!

Tea Room is such a magical place with beautiful tea pots all around, lots of images and colorful tableclothes.

Godmother

The most famous restaurant in Fisherman’s Wharf – if you have your City Sightseeing bus ticket, you will get a free dessert with the best fish and chips in town for less than $10. I haven’t visited it myself as I do not eat fish and chips but heard a lot of prayers about it.

Looking for some chocolate in San Francisco? Try TCHO chocolate tour where you can sample different kinds of chocolate, all yummy, I guarantee!

Or how about Food Tour in SF to find other great places to eat?

Also check out my list of 47 things to do in San Francisco.

California history

January 15, 2014 Alex history, USA One comment

Origins of the name of California and the Native Americans

The name of California dates back to when in 1530’s the Spanish conquered the Aztecs expending their territories. Hernan Cortez heard stories about beautiful Amazon women living in the jungle without men. The book mentioning them speaks also about the island where they lived – called California. When Cortez arrived to the peninsula he thought the Native Americans women looked like those Amazon warriors so they named the place California only to find out later it was not an island.

From 1500 to 1700’s California belonged to the Spaniards but the Native Americans were not affected by it until the colonization started in late 1700’s. At that time 300,000 Native Americans lived along the Cali coast with the largest amount of cultural habits in here – variety of more than 100 native languages, the tribes all looked different, lived far away from each other etc.

The reason of the big cultural variety of the Native American tribes in California goes back in time until 17,000 to 12,000 years ago when many hunters from Siberia arrived to Cali walking through the ice bridge over the Bering Straight to Alaska. Multiple migrations happened throughout those years.

There was no violence in the Native American tribes life until the Spaniards arrived. Very few Indian rebellions were lead against the colonization. One of them against the Mexican in 1840’s was led by a native mission-educated Estanislao – Stanislaus. A country in Central Valley was named after him and we passed it on our way to Yosemite Valley.

Struggling over the California territory was part of the history for the next years. Several presidios were built in Cali those days to protect it from the Russians who came from the North. From San Diego, through Monterrey up to San Francisco 16 missions were founded with San Francisco being the Northernmost point of the Spanish New World.

The converting the Native inhabitants into Catholicism and bringing them education was followed by a number of diseases. Then another mission was built in Sonoma making it already 21st in Cali.

Then in 1821 Mexico became independent, and Southern USA too.

When Marc was filling up our heads with history details, we saw Don Pedro reservoir on our right.

”Hundreds of reservoirs were created around California to catch water from melting snow from the mountains” explained us Marc.

American citizens couldn’t own land when California was part of Mexico until they converted to Catholicism and became Mexican citizens. It is what led to the Mexican Revolution which ended up with raising the Bear Flag for California as an independent state in Sonoma. Unfortunately for Cali, it lasted only 23 days until it became part of the USA.

Gold Rush

First gold was discovered in Setter’s Mill by Swiss Johan Setter who soon became an American citizen. It all happened East of Sacramento and Setter knew the gold rush was about to come so he kept it secret for months.

One individual could change history of just one area like he did. It is possible, indeed.

When others discovered it, it all went public just 9 days before the Guadalupe Hidalgo treatment and then the US took control over California (otherwise it would be part of Mexico.)

1849 was the year of the first migration of around 50,000 people. Until 1855 San Francisco grew from 400 inhabitants every year by another 25,000 to 60,000. The first Europeans started coming over on around 700 ships and renamed Yerba Buena to San Francisco.

During Gold Rush, small towns such as Groveland we passed through on the way to Yosemite National Park grew a lot. The town is also famous for the oldest and the one continuously serving since 1852. Groveland now has around 15,000 inhabitants only.

The Gold Rush in the West brought huge amount of wealth, then the Silver Rush happened in the East. At both periods, the banks did really well. The Bank of Italy was built here by an Italian, then became the Bank of California and now the Bank of America. Also Wells Cargo started at that time too.

In 1880’s the Gold Rush was over and many people left to the coast. Gold towns became a sort of empty ghost towns similar to Mineral de Pozos – a little ghost town I visited in Mexico.

Farming in California

On the minibus from San Francisco to Yosemite National Park, our guide Marc from Extranomical Tours gave us the best insight into California history which I had no idea about.

Everyone thinks that California is just beaches, expensive cities, sexy surfers, hot dry weather and Hollywood stars. But in reality, it is much more than that. I would never imagine cows, horses and fields with vegetables together with fruit trees in here.

”Agriculture and farming is bigger than any other industry in California” started Marc pointing out at the fields ”it makes more money than Hollywood!”

We crossed part of 400 km long Central Valley where peaches, plums, cherries, apricots, oranges and nuts grow. Three quarters of world’s almonds come from California. Also more dairy products are produced in the state than in Wisconsin, the milk state.

”Believe it or not, even rice comes from here and is exported to Asia!”

There is a reason why the Cali soil make it so fertile. California used to be below the sea level until 20 million years ago when two plates met there and exposed Cali up the sea. The soil here is now up to 30 m deep. Yes, that’s a lot of soil!

Together with the sort of a Mediterranean climate like somewhere in the Southern Europe it does make a great place for farming.

California has been a farmers’ home for centuries. But it was put on the map for another reason which made it famous even before its food products. It was only in 1849 when after the gold was discovered here, people started to emigrate to the area. When the Gold Rush was over in the 1880’s is when the farming started.

In 1930’s during the Great Depression aqueducts were built and brought water supplies to the area. It meant more harvest, productive farms and migrations from Oklahoma, Japan or even Turkey and Romania. Large cities began to be built.

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