Pulpology: Mark & Sonia's Intercontinental Absurdities!

Mozambique in October

2012-05-17T00:00:00-05:00

As some of you already know, my ~~enabler~~ friend Lisa King has convinced me to accompany her Habitat for Humanity team to Mozambique this October, to build houses for AIDS orphans. (She really had to twist my arm for all of about a millisecond.) When someone provides me with a fantastic opportunity like this, I simply must heed the call. I've never done a volunteer trip like this before, and I'm beyond-thrilled.

Lisa is mortar-fied

Our Global Village team will travel to the Xai-Xai district in mid-October, to work alongside villagers who need a decent, affordable place to live. Mozambique has been decimated by AIDS, and a staggering number of children in this region have lost one or both parents to the disease. It should be an intense and rewarding week.

Here's an amazing story published recently by HFH about the Manhica brothers, who live in the province we'll be working in:

And this beautiful slideshow is from Kelley Teague, who was on Lisa's team in Mozambique last year:

OK, here comes the request!
I'm in the middle of raising funds to cover the program fees. (Airfare I have to pay for separately, but I am currently accepting applications from sugar daddies/mamas.) My wonderful and generous family has already kicked in almost half the needed funds, and I must raise the rest by the end of August. Any and all contributions are welcome!

Please visit my fundraising page and consider chipping in a few bucks. Anyone who contributes at least $25 will get a postcard from Mozambique, perfect for hanging on your fridge and impressing your friends.

I'm still working out the rest of the trip details, but they will likely include some diving (Mozambique supposedly has some of the world's best scuba spots), perhaps a bit of safariliciousness, and almost certainly a stop in South Africa to see my erstwhile coworker Karen. Stay tuned for updates and thanks for your support!

RELATED LINKS:
* Hope Regained | Habitat World May 2012
* Mozambique 2011 slideshow by Kelley Teague
* Sonia's fundraising page
* Habitat for Humanity's Global Village program
* Mozambique Chapter of HFH
* Lisa's 2011 Mozambique pics on Flickr

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Eat your veggies!

2012-05-13T09:04:00-05:00

Mother's Day is among the trilogy of bittersweet days of my year. But what better way to pay tribute to my dear ol' mum than get out and garden? Most mothers extoll the virtues of eating your veggies, but mine also instilled in me a love of growing your own.

I'm pretty sure she'd be proud of this monster bok choy in my front yard:

...as well as the spicy, garlicky stir-fry we made it into!

The recipe is from somewhere on the interwebs, and essentially calls for an intoxicating mixture of sesame oil, fresh ginger, minced garlic, oyster sauce, soy sauce, some brown sugar, and a little crushed red pepper. Extra points if you toss in other veggies in addition to the bok choy. Om nom nummers!

Happy Mother's Day to all moms out there, past present and future.

Top of the Loaf, Ma!

2012-05-10T00:00:00-05:00

Our last afternoon and evening in Rio was nothing short of magical. In a town where every other view is extraordinary, where you get tired of saying "wow," this took it to a whole new level.

Don't get me wrong, we had our fair share of frustrations too. Say it with me: This country needs an easy button! Brazil has the power to take you to the absolute edge of annoyance, and just as you're about to throw in the towel it delivers the goods, and you're so dazzled you forget what all the fuss was about. Our journey up Sugarloaf Mountain was just that.

no lines

We arrived at the ground level ticketing area with high hopes. Sweeeeet, no lines! It was like finding a secret ride at Disney World while all the other suckers waited in line for something obvious like Space Mountain. As we wound our way around the outside of the serpentine and bought our tickets, a huge busload of Asian tourists with fanny packs unloaded. Hah, we smirked, too bad for them!

ohhhhh, buzzkill!

And then, major buzzkillington. That was just the line to get the tickets! Now we'd have to wait in the really really long line to board the actual cablecar. Yes, that line. The one with all those fannypackers who just got off the tourbus, shiny tickets already in hand. Cue the sad trumpets, wah-wah-wah-wahhhhhhhhhh.

The view was actually kinda cool, watching the two sets of cablecars come and go. One set connects the ground with Morro da Urca, the midway point. The second set takes visitors the rest of the way up Pão de Açúcar, aka Sugarloaf. However, standing in the merciless sun for over an hour, and then having a bunch of British asshats cut in front of us as we started getting closer to the front, was kinda not cool. By the time we got in our first cablecar, I was hella crabby.

helicopter rides

Morro da Urca houses some historical exhibits and a lovely visitor's center that shows a film about the history and construction of the Pão de Açúcar cablecar system. The film even features a clip from the James Bond movie Moonraker where nasty henchman Jaws attempts to bite through the cable and send Bond plummeting to his death. Morro da Urca is also where you can catch a ubiquitous helicopter ride around Rio, although the price was a bit out of our range. Thankfully there was just enough shade to cop a quick respite and get a snack. Which, due to our limited Portuguese, turned out to not be a tasty milkshake but instead some vile noxious medicinal swill. Ewwww! Have I mentioned that This Country Needs an Easy Button?

final stretch between the Morro & the Pão

Nevermind, onward and upward! My crankipants attitude finally abated once we reached our final destination, and breathtaking views of Rio unfolded across 360 splendid degrees. The view from the Pão is the bomb. Not only did we see some fabulous beaches:

Praia Vermelha & Copacabana

Botafogo

great day for a sail

...and of course, The Big J off in the distance:

ever present

...but also some impressive flora and fauna:

lounge lizards

cheeky monkey

floralicious

And then the sun began to set.

golden hour

All frustrations melted away in a glossy mist of pinks and purples and gold.

Oh.

Em.

Gee.

Worth a little crabbypatty 'tude earlier in the day? Absofrickinlutely.

And then darkness fell, and the view continued to get impossibly more beautiful.

bark at the moon

All at once we realized we didn't want to go! Not down the mountain, not back home, not to reality. Who needs reality when you have this view???

sighhhhhhhh

Oh yeah, that's right, someone's gotta replenish the coffers for the next adventure. Back to reality it is. Beijos until next time, Rio.

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Photo Friday: from Rio with love

2012-05-04T00:00:00-05:00

night falls on Rio

There's a reason everyone who's been to Rio ranks it among their favorite cities. It's gawjeous! For Photo Friday this week, here's another snap from our trip up Pão de Açúcar/Sugarloaf. If you want a sneak peek, all Sugarloaf pics have been posted. And the full story is coming soon. Really. Soon. (What can I say? Spring is in the air, and real life has gotten in the way this week!)

For more fabulous travel snaps, check out DeliciousBaby's Photo Friday.

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Sugarloaf smooches

2012-04-24T00:00:00-05:00

I haven't forgotten about you, I swear I haven't. I'm working on a post that does NOT involve a million parade pics, about our fabulous last day in Rio, spent atop Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain). Hang tight, it's coming!

Meanwhile, now is a great time to catch up on these Carnavalrific posts:

* Holy Floats, Batman (part two)
* Holy Floats, Batman (part one)
* Snoof and fuzzles, tringlers and trappings
* We had trouble in getting to Solla Sollew
* Fried, fried, pink stuff, fried
* Impersonal Jesus
* The sun sets on another epic trip
* Sambódromo favorites
* Dois Gringos em Dois Irmãos
* Samba till you drop
* In a Rio state of mind

Which is your favorite and why?

Photo Friday: Holy Floats, Batman! (part two)

2012-04-13T00:00:00-05:00

Last week we explored some of the splendiforous parade floats that make their way through Rio's Sambódromo during Carnaval. Believe it or not, I only got halfway through. For this week's Photo Friday post, here's a few more.

Most floats were preceded by a group on the ground in matching costumes. Sometimes the theme was easier to detect, sometimes it was more about coordinated colors.

A common float element was a spectacular giant face.

And then there were some outlandish themes:

The Porto da Pedra school decided to celebrate calcium this year...

Of course I totally love this Mocidade colored pencil float...

The people at top of the floats tended to sport the skimpiest costumes, but always-always had something to hold onto.

And some floats just blew me away...

Are you experiencing parade overkill yet? Try sitting and watching these in-person for 9 hours straight! Ay samba-caramba!

I'll leave you with a few interesting characters found aboard floats:

For more fabulous travel snaps, check out DeliciousBaby's Photo Friday.

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Photo Friday: Holy Floats, Batman! (part one)

2012-04-06T00:00:00-05:00

Rio's samba parade costumes are brilliant, but the floats are works of mad genius.

Several stories high, often with a dozen or more people aboard, and of course covered in all manner of snoof and fuzzle, parade floats are nothing short of mind-boggling.

One or two of these floatstravaganzas would be flabbergasting to behold. But each samba school has half a dozen, and we watched seven or eight schools over the course of the night. As I've said before, after a while we just got tired of saying "wow."

Ranging from the opulent to the absurd, each float has its own share of theatricality.

And this is just the first half. More to come!

Meanwhile, check out the other great travel snaps at Delicious Baby's Photo Friday.

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Five years ago: Celebrating Joan in Paris

2012-03-28T00:00:00-05:00

On this date in 2007, five Zs snuck a bottle of red wine to the top of the Eiffel Tower to toast one missing Z. Joan Zamborsky had planned to celebrate her 60th birthday in Paris, but just four months prior she was killed in a bizarre car accident that left us reeling, a bit lost, and unsure how to make sense of it all. Instead of cancelling the birthday trip, my siblings and I made arrangements to travel to Paris with our dad.

We hit some typical tourist spots, took a cooking class, and spent March 28 celebrating the wife and mother we'd recently lost.

A few months later, I quit my job and took off for Central America. Because life is short.

Photo Friday: snoof and fuzzles, tringlers and trappings

2012-03-23T00:00:00-05:00

In keeping with this week's Seussian theme, I thought I'd feature some more samba parade photos, focusing on the floof and flounce and utter whimsy of the costumes.

All the Whos down in Whoville might've had panpoolers, pantookers, and bisslebigs, but they couldn't hold a candle to these creations. And there's the added effect of about a hundred people marching and dancing and singing together, all identically dressed with giant birds on their heads, like it was no big deal. Just when we got used to it, the next group came marching by in something even wackier.

Parade costumes are full of feathers and spangles, and that's par for the course. But a surprising number of them also incorporated frilly fabrics with froufrou ornamentation.

And strange, unexpected accents.

The amount of work that must go into sewing all these costumes simply boggles the mind.

After a while, we gave up saying "wow!" and "what the..." and just stared in slack-jawed astonishment.

This just scratches the surface of all the amazing things we saw in the Sambódromo. Over the coming weeks I'll continue to curate parade photos, attempting to put them into some logical themes rather than bludgeon you with a gigantic batch of Wow! Next week: Holy floats, Batman!

Meanwhile, check out the other great travel snaps at Delicious Baby's Photo Friday.

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We had trouble in getting to Solla Sollew

2012-03-20T00:00:00-05:00

Scuba. In a quiet beach town. And accommodations at a swank hotel. After all the hustle and bustle of Rio during Carnaval, this quick side trip seemed just what the doctor ordered.

decktastic

So we set off for Arraial do Cabo -- where they never have troubles, at least very few -- in our crappy little rental car. Which may as well have been a One Wheel Wubble drawn by a camel, as what should have been a 2-hour journey took us almost four. We got out of Rio with surprisingly little fanfare, but then proceeded to take a wrong turn at Niteroi, hit lots of random traffic on the 106, and almost missed the big turnoff at Araruama. Hey, at least we didn't have to face the Perilous Poozer of Pomplemoose Pass. Considering we were armed with only a handful of Google Maps screenshots, I think we did pretty well.

Arraial do Cabo beach

As we arrived in Arraial, things began to look up. The beaches shone, the breezes blew, and our hotel was indeed a big step up from the sketchy motel we'd been staying at in Rio. For this I have to thank my siblings, who booked this scuba excursion for me as a birthday present. They did their homework! Pousada Caminho do Sol is a beautiful guesthouse just a block from the beach, with a stunning tropical garden and an award-winning restaurant.

After checking into our lovely penthouse room, complete with jacuzzi and beach view, we took a quick snooze before meeting with our divemaster Marcelo. The fact that he came to our hotel was a promising sign. We've had mostly excellent dive experiences, but a hard-learned lesson has taught me to trust my instincts when it comes to choice of divemaster and shop. Here again, the sibs did their homework and managed to select an affable guy who genuinely seemed concerned for our comfort and safety. He answered all our questions, gave us clear instructions for the next day, and left us feeling confident about the whole endeavor.

We had a strange encounter with pink stuff for dinner and then called it an early night, getting a pretty decent sleep despite the increasingly windy conditions outside.

to the harbor!

In all fairness, the scuba debacle that ensued wasn't entirely Marcelo's fault. That week's unusually windy weather made for water temps even colder than usual, necessitating thick wetsuits. Sausage time! Plus the visibility was terrible. We're spoiled, having done over 50 dives in mostly warm, clear, beautiful conditions. I much prefer to dive in just a bathing suit, and hate the feel of being stuffed into a full wetsuit. Maybe if we had our own gear it wouldn't be so bad, but since we don't, it's akin to wearing someone else's bowling shoes. All over your entire body. Bleh. Add in the fact that we got sent off with another divemaster who (a) didn't speak English, and (b) was more concerned with maneuvering his fancy underwater camera than monitoring our safety, and you've got two more strikes. When I had a bit of an equipment malfunction and started surfacing uncontrollably, that was almost the final straw. I wasn't that deep, and managed to ascend fairly slowly, so I didn't get the bends or anything. But I was still pretty freaked out. I almost didn't do the second dive. But since we'd come so far and this outing was so meticulously planned, I decided to go for it. The second dive with Marcelo was a much better experience, until we began to surface and both Mark & I got really nauseous. We're still not entirely sure what caused that bizarre reaction -- tainted air? ill-fitting wetsuits? -- but it's never happened to either of us before. Admittedly not our finest hour.

That night we celebrated our adventures with the best sunset we'd seen in a while, and cheese on a stick. The wind continued to rage.

Rather than come back for a second day of diving, we relaxed on the beach. A wise choice! Not a Quilligan Quail nor a Key Slapping Slippard in sight.

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WanderFood Wednesday: fried, fried, pink stuff, fried

2012-03-14T00:00:00-05:00

crack in a can

There were several times during this trip where we bumped headlong into the realization that we really should have learned more Portuguese. Getting a handle on the local language is typically something we enjoy doing as part of our trip prep. For whatever reason, it didn't happen this time around. We got by with charades and a phrasebook and just plain ol' winging it. For the most part, this worked OK, but it backfired a few notable times.

the scary clowns shoulda clued us in

One such time was our first evening in Arraial do Cabo, a beach town outside Rio where we'd arrived for a scuba junket (more on that in a few days). We weren't in much of an exploratory mood after a long battle with our crappy rental car, so we found a brightly-adorned place near our hotel for a quick bite. The menu listed something called "misto de frango," which purported to be an aggregation of three different types of chicken. Sounds harmless enough, one please!

The waitress proceeded to launch into a lengthy discussion in Portuguese that made absolutely no sense to us, but she seemed trustworthy so we stuck with our order. And this is what showed up:

misto de frango, or just mixed up?

Let's ignore the fact that the third item is french fries, and not chicken of any sort. What in the world is that pink stuff in the middle? Our best guess was some awful mashup of ketchup and mayonnaise. Ew. We dumped plenty of hot sauce in there, plus some "African" sauce Mark found on top of the buffet table, and that did improve the pink goo a bit. We were hungry, so we ate it, what more can I say? All in all, not a total debacle, but hardly a wildly satisfying repast.

On the other hand, we did have some great meals in Arraial do Cabo. One of my favorite things to do in a new city or country is browse the grocery store aisles for unusual local treats. (Side note: This is particularly fun in places with non-Western alphabets where you may have no idea what's inside the package but are still seduced by bright colors and shiny happy graphics.) By far our best Brazilian find was Cheese on a Stick, known locally as queijo de coalho.

on a steek

Normally this would be grilled -- common fare at street stalls -- but since we were sans hibachi at our hotel, we just ate the cheese straight from the package, with crackers and some excellent Chilean wine. Ensconced in snugly hotel robes and enjoying the nighttime views of town, this was the perfect way to unwind after our scuba adventures.

life is good
(and photogeeks, check out that bokeh!)

The other stellar meal in Arraial was, unsurprisingly, at our hotel's restaurant. We thought about giving the clowncar restaurant a second chance, but instead went with the swankier option. A wise choice, rewarded by a lovely view of the pool and gardens, a nice cold bottle of wine, and some delicious fresh seafood dishes. Redemption!

swanktastic lunch at Pousada Caminho do Sol

Be sure to check out Wanderlust & Lipstick's WanderFood Wednesday for more mouth-watering travel foodie posts.

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Impersonal Jesus

2012-03-06T00:00:00-05:00

pick up the receiver, I'll make you a believer

Need to expunge the sins and excesses of Carnaval? Climb the mount and visit O Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer). The Big J can be seen from nearly all areas of Rio, and is supposedly one of the "New Seven Wonders of the World." Whatever that means. As with most tourist attractions, it's popular for a reason, and was one of the first non-Carnaval items we decided to visit.

at the foot of The Big Jesus

The enormous Jesus statue is perched atop Corcovado mountain, at an elevation of 2300 feet, amid the Tijuca Forest National Park. So the first big decision is how to get up there. We were hoping to catch the train, supposedly a marvel of engineering itself as it goes nearly straight up the mountain. But when we hopped off the bus, there was a 3+ hourlong wait for the next train due to the crush of tourists. So we grabbed a van, which was nearly the same price, and up we went.

journey up Corcovado mountain

oktapodi has a Come-to-Jesus moment

In typical Brazilian fashion (something else to file away under "This Country Needs an Easy Button"), it was explained in broken English that we'd need to pick up another van partway up, but we'd purchased a roundtrip ticket and could come back at any time. What this actually meant was that the "hired car" shuttles only take you to a certain point -- which you could also drive up to yourself, theoretically -- and then you have to get out and buy a ticket for entrance into the park. From there the park shuttles bring you up to the summit. This involves a good bit of standing in perhaps-pointless lines and not being entirely sure what the heck is going on. But you will eventually get there. And so we did. Along with several hundred camera-clicking visitors.

hundreds seeking the perfect shot

just a leeeeetle bit creeeeepy

I found The Big Jesus statue pretty creepy up close. Unless you go for a helicopter tour, it's not possible to enjoy the iconic view over the shoulder of Cristo beaming benevolently down on the city. So we ended up circling the base, looking up at the vacuous blank eyes, searching for the "perfect" photo op. Along with several hundred other tourists doing exactly the same thing.

for the record, I did NOT do this!

your own Impersonal Jesus

There's not really much else to do atop the mountain with Our Lord and Savior, but we'd shelled out the bucks and waited in lines and crammed ourselves in with our fellow man, so we hung out for a while, trying to appreciate the overcast view. The breeze was delightful. And we were able to spot a few familiar landmarks. But after a while all the shoving and jostling for space got to be a bit much. Did I mention there were several hundred people up there at the same time? Whew. We stretched it out a bit by having an overpriced beer at the cafe, but it was eventually time to call it a day and queue up for the ear-popping ride back down.

Jesus in the cafe, serving beer

Worth it? Definitely. Frustrating? A tad. Completely Brazilian? You bet. Stay tuned for our counterpoint experience at Pão de Açúcar.

Big Jesus seen from Botafogo beach

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The sun sets on another epic trip

2012-02-26T00:00:00-05:00

sunset at Pão de Açúcar

Say it with me, kids: WOW! Couldn't have asked for a sweeter ending to our epic trip. This is one of many incredible views of the sun setting over Rio, as seen from Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar), where we spent a good chunk of our last afternoon/evening. Yum!

RELATED POSTS:
* Photo Friday: Sambódromo favorites
* Dois Gringos em Dois Irmãos
* Samba till you drop
* browse all Brazil posts

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Photo Friday: Sambódromo favorites

2012-02-24T00:00:00-05:00

the Portela crew, workin' it

shiny objects

Our Sunday evening trip to the Sambodromo to watch over seven hours of samba parades was epic, to say the least. We had incredible seats, right on the ground level in the sector next to the judges.

this little dude had charazzzzzzma

confetti cannon!

Mocidade's batteria was definitely tops

As you can imagine, there are myriad photos to curate. These are just a scant few of my first-run faves.

love the energy

colored pencil float! ('nuff said)

zombierific

even the cleanup crews got down with their badselves

one of Beija Flor's incredible floats

I gotta get me one of these hats!

One of the best parts of being right down in the action was the opportunity to interact with the paraders. Despite marching for 90 minutes straight, in some cases in a parade that didn't even start till the wee hours of the morning, these folks had amazing energy.

still cheerful at 5am

front row seats to the sambaliciousness

partying till the sun comes up

Watch for more Carnaval and parade pics to come in the next days and weeks! And check out the other great travel snaps at Delicious Baby's Photo Friday.

RELATED POSTS:
* Dois Gringos em Dois Irmãos
* Samba till you drop
* browse all Brazil posts

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Dois gringos em Dois Irmãos

2012-02-20T00:00:00-05:00

We're still recovering from seven straight hours of parades in the Sambódromo on Sunday night (and well into Monday morning). I haven't even looked through all the photos yet. In the meantime, here's a nice quiet shot of us on Leblon beach in front of the iconic Dois Irmãos mountains. From this neighborhood we picked up the shuttle to the parades.

the calm before the storm

RELATED POSTS:
* Samba till you drop
* In a Rio state of mind
* browse all Brazil posts

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Samba till you drop

2012-02-18T00:00:00-05:00

Today was a big day. Somehow we managed to go from this:

wall-to-wall crazies in the street at Cinelândia

to this:

chilling out at a neighborhood lanchonete

to this:

Mangueira Samba School performs at Rio Scala Ball

high-voltage old-school samba, into the wee hours

this dude loves his job

We made some new friends along the way...

...like this delightful couple from Sri Lanka
(seated next to The Guy Who Had a Bit Too Much Day)

...and these saucy cariocas who taught us to samba till the sun came up

Not bad for a day that began by sleeping well past noon. Tomorrow, the Sambodromo parades!

RELATED POSTS:
* In a Rio state of mind
* The caipirinha countdown continues!
* browse all Brazil posts

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In a Rio state of mind

2012-02-17T00:00:00-05:00

oktapodi and friend at the Rio Carnival Tourism Office

The last two days have been pretty stressful, but, as always, oktapodi has managed to make new friends and maintain a cheerful disposition. Mark and I are just happy we haven't yet killed ourselves (or anyone else) after driving around Rio for two days. Operating a motorized vehicle here is a psychotic experience on a good day, but during Carnival, fugetaboutit. (Surprisingly, my daily Beltway training seems to be paying off! We've decided me driving + Mark navigating is the best way to preserve what little sanity we have left.) Nonetheless, samba ball & parade tickets are now in hand, the car is back in the garage where it belongs, and once we get a nice shower and a nap we'll be ready to explore the city the right way: on foot and via public transport!

The caipirinha countdown continues!

2012-02-13T21:30:00-05:00

oktapodi is ready to samba

It's official. We're in that pre-trip zone of chaos where piles of random items litter the living room and to-do lists rule the day. On Wednesday we're heading down to Brazil for 11 days of samba, sun, and carnivaliciousness.

We'll spend the bulk of our time in Rio, soaking up the Carnival vibe. Number one question so far: are you staying at a Marriott? Hah, no. It's notoriously hard to get the associate rate at the JW (the only Marriott hotel in town) and even moreso during the most popular week of the year. So we have a room at one of Brazil's "motels," which seem somewhat akin to Japan's love hotels, normally booked by the hour but surprisingly affordable if you stay overnight or for a week at a time. And of course we love the cheese factor... mirrors on the ceilings? Bring it! The location can't be beat, there's free parking and free wifi, and the price was right. We don't intend to spend much time in the hotel anyway.

Mangueira Samba School, photo by RCS Travel & Tourism

We decided to get tickets to one of the more traditional Carnival balls, the Mangueira Ball at Rio Scala. Mangueira is one of the oldest samba schools in Rio, and this ball is a chance to party the night away with its drummers, principal samba dancers and the flag bearer and her escort. As the CVB site says, "It is a true and real samba night; you can dance all night or just watch and enjoy the crowd." Count me in!

Sunday night we have tickets to watch some of the main parades in the Sambodromo. Figuring out which seats to book was by far the most complicated part of our itinerary! Ticket prices range from very affordable grandstand free seating to luxury VIP box seats. We opted for something in the middle, reserved seats on the floor. But even that was a complicated choice, as some sectors are more desirable than others because the judges are in a certain area and that's where the dancers do their best to impress. We made what we thought was a reasonable choice, but really it was more like a best guess. I have a feeling we're going to have fun no matter what.

diving in Arraial do Cabo, photo by Keidy Beranger

Besides the Carnival festivities, the other highlight of the trip will be a scuba excursion to Arraial do Cabo, a site that boasts the best diving on the southern coast of Brazil. This part is a gift from my siblings, who were in cahoots with Mark on the whole birthday surprise. (Have I mentioned lately that I have the best family in the world?) They found us a really cool hotel and an awesome dive shop. The beachy goodness should be a nice respite from the insanity of the city.

There are plenty of other options in the mix -- I'm dying to go tandem hang gliding! -- that we'll figure out when we're there. We're renting a car, which gives us some flexibility on day trips. But the main idea is to live it up carioca-style in one of the most beautiful cities in the world during one of the biggest parties on the planet. Follow along with our posts in the "Brazil" category!

RELATED POSTS:
* WanderFood Wednesday: Brazilian Füdism
* We're going to Rio!

WanderFood Wednesday: Brazilian Füdism

2012-02-01T00:00:00-05:00

In honor of the two-week countdown to our Brazilian junket (can I get a woot-woot?) I decided to post a recap of our last Füdism, a monthly foodie gathering where we throw down the food-geek gauntlet with a group of friends. In January the theme was Brazilian food, and as usual everyone brought their A-game.

"just" a potato salad

feijoada!

Our contribution, besides hosting, was two dishes: codfish balls, and pork empanadas. Om-nom-nom, if I do say so myself.

codfish balls... easy to make and fun to say!

balls in the oven

mmmm, crispy balls!

Mark chops the meat

empanada filling

empanada-rific

Part of the fun of these events is poring over cookbooks and internet recipes for just the right dish. It's even better to get an authentic recipe from an expat friend.

arrumadinho

authentic recipe, quaintly quoted straight from the source

These photos capture only about half of the total feast, but at some point I stopped snapping and started chowing down. The caipirinhas flowed, the gorgeous dishes kept coming, and we had plenty of meaty goodness.

no Brazilian meal would be complete without a big hunk of meat

I'm a bit chagrined to note that I focused solely on the "food porn" shots, and neglected to take a single picture of the delightful people who not only prepped these dishes but also made the gathering extra-festive. My bad! Brazilians are legendary for their hospitality... I think this group of gringos made a good run at it. Saúde, fudistas!

Be sure to check out Wanderlust & Lipstick's WanderFood Wednesday for more mouth-watering travel foodie posts.

RELATED LINKS:
* We're going to Rio!
* browse all WanderFood Wednesday posts

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Rooting DC - support urban gardening

2012-01-26T00:00:00-05:00

Three cheers for Rooting DC! This year marks the fifth annual gathering to celebrate urban gardening in all its many colors and flavors. Whether you want to learn to compost, cook healthier, organize a community garden, or influence local food policy, this is one event not to miss. And it's free!

I've attended for several years running, and I love how this event gets me energized for the gardening season ahead. Attendees comprise a wonderful mix of gardeners, foodies, community organizers, and most importantly low-income residents for whom this event was created.

The goals of the Rooting DC Forum are to:

* Build community among groups and individuals who want to improve our city through gardening and greening
* Share information and resources about gardening and greening in DC
* Provide opportunity for DC gardeners to coalesce around specific areas of interest
* Identify volunteer opportunities by creating a database of community based garden projects
* Keep gardeners connected via monthly e-newsletters that highlight volunteer opportunities, events and news from participants

oktapodi loves urban (and suburban) gardening

I'm slightly bummed that I'll be missing Rooting DC this year because we'll be in Brazil -- I know, I know, don't cry for me -- but I encourage all my DC garden peeps to check it out. Online registration opens January 30.

While Rooting DC remains free and open to the public, tax-deductible donations of any amount are greatly appreciated. To further support the cause, there's a silent auction & happy hour next Thursday, Feb 2, at Looking Glass Lounge. I'll be there, raising a toast to my West Coast nephew Jack, who turns two that day. I'd love to see you there!

OK, so let's summarize. Here's how you can get involved to support this great cause:

1. Come to happy hour on Thursday, Feb 2
Looking Glass Lounge
3634 Georgia Ave NW, WDC 20010
5-8pm
RSVP on Facebook

2. Spread the word!
- Like Rooting DC on Facebook
- Follow Rooting DC on Twitter (also watch the hashtag #RootingDC)
- Download and share the event flyer

3. Come to Rooting DC on Saturday, Feb 18
Coolidge High School
6315 5th Street, NW, WDC 20012
9:30am - 4pm
Online registration & more info: http://rootingdc.org

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WanderFood Wednesday: minestrone

2012-01-18T00:00:00-05:00

I'm a big fan of salad, but when the weather gets blustery, nothing beats a big bowl of homecooked soup. To get back into the WanderFood Wednesday groove, here's a quick homage to a recent masterpiece: minestrone!

According to The Kitchen Project, "minestrone means 'Big Soup' to Italians and means a soup with lots of goodies in it." For me, it's all about the beans. Traditional minestrone usually calls for cannellini or great northern beans, but I happened to have a delightful melange of dried beans on hand from last year's garden.

Jacob's Cattle, Cherokee Cornfield, Black Turtle, and "Big Red Ripper" cowpeas

I was a little sad that these beans mostly reverted to a standard brown color when cooked, but it was fun to see them all mixed together in the pot. One love!

The final product was an adhoc mix of whatever veggies we happened to have around, elbow pasta, plus some beef stock and a dash of tomato juice just to give it some extra oomph. The crowning glory was a cube of frozen pesto, made last year at the height of summer basil production. As the pesto cube melts into the hot soup, it provides just the right splash of garden-fresh flavor.

ahhhhhhh

Snuggle up by the fire with a bowl of this homecooked goodness, and all the world's cares melt away in a haze of basil and garlic. Soup IS good food!

Be sure to check out Wanderlust & Lipstick's WanderFood Wednesday for more mouth-watering travel foodie posts.

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Merry Chrismoose!

2011-12-23T00:00:00-05:00

best cookie cutter ever, courtesy of my sister in Alaska

Hope your holidays are merry & bright! Or at least covered in frosting. And here's to a stellar 2012... it is the Year of Awesomeness, after all. Cheers!

WanderFood Wednesday: play with your food!

2011-12-14T00:00:00-05:00

time to make the ducks

For our combined Zamborsky Thanksmas this year, we didn't do a full Slovak Christmas Eve meal. However, we did tweeze out a favorite tradition: the making of the ducks!

a serious business (not)

even Jack gets into the act

Without Grandmom Gallo around to award a shiny nickel to the best duck, we were reduced to our own catty judgments, and maybe even a little trash-talking. The wine flows, the kitchen steams up, and the gloves come off. It's all part of the ritual.

the making of the ducks is followed by the judging of the ducks

some ducks are just winners

I didn't get any pictures of the finished product, which have been brushed with egg and baked to a nice golden brown. They got gobbled up with the Thanksgiving meal. Because, at this time of year, you can never have too many carbs.

the Boogerduck stands alone

Hop on over to Wanderlust & Lipstick's WanderFood Wednesday for more mouth-watering travel foodie posts.

RELATED LINKS:
* I'm Dreaming of a Slovak Christmas
* browse all WanderFood Wednesday posts

Unexpectedly thankful for...

2011-11-22T00:00:00-05:00

November is a dreary time in the garden, at least here on the East Coast. And Nov 21 in particular is one of the toughest days of the year for me. But just when I feel like giving up and burrowing in for the winter, Mother Nature pulls out a few surprises. Here are a few random happy things I found yesterday:

kale, glorious kale!

I have no idea what this is, but it's been growing all year and decided to flower yesterday.

strawflowers, still going strong

pass the peas! we might actually get a few before winter

Thanks, Ma!

We're going to Rio!

2011-11-16T00:00:00-05:00

It's been in the works for over a decade.

For Mark's 30th birthday, I took him to Mardi Gras to celebrate. Unbeknownst to me, he's been scheming ever since about how to top that for my 40th. (This kind of competition is what I call a win-win!) And for my birthday this year, he announced that we're going to Rio de Janeiro for Carnival. Woot!

In 2012, Carnival starts on February 18... closer to Mark's birthday than mine, but who's complaining? We have our flights booked, but not our accommodations, so that's definitely the next order of business. We'll be there for about 10 days, so we probably won't have time to see much outside the city. But recommendations for daytrips and things to do in Rio are welcome. Should we get tickets for the Sambodromo? What about the balls? What are some other (and perhaps less-obvious) ways to experience Carnival? Let the crowdsourcing begin!

In the meantime, we'll be practicing our Portuguese and maybe even learning to samba. Should be an epic adventure.

And if anyone has any ideas for how I'm possibly going to trump this for Mark's 50th birthday, lemme know!

all images courtesy RCS Travel & Tourism

Photo Friday: lawn ornaments come to life

2011-11-04T00:00:00-05:00

This time last year we were in Aruba, chilling out at the Renaissance's private beach and enjoying some fabulous diving and not doing much else. One side of the beach sported some massive iguanas, the other had a flock of flamingoes. I don't think I'd ever seen one this up close before... they're kinda surreal.

RELATED LINKS:
* browse all posts from Aruba
* check out other great travel snaps at Delicious Baby's Photo Friday

If you want to sing out, sing out!

2011-10-25T00:00:00-05:00

Does it feed your soul? Go within before you go without. We don't know how long the economy will be down, and in the meantime we need to live our lives!

Sure, last Tuesday's Meet, Plan, Go! in DC dealt with nuts & bolts issues like insurance, airfare, and finances. But in between the logistics a steady theme emerged. Travel is more than getting from Point A to Point B. It nourishes something deep inside.

For the second year, I had the privilege of assembling a kickass panel to tell their stories and answer questions about long-term travel. In the audience of about 80 people were nurses and lawyers, project managers and artists, techies and cops, past and present and future careerbreakers, all bitten by the travel bug and yearning to see more of the world.

After a little informal mixing and mingling, and an opening video featuring interviews with many MPG hosts from across North America, our panel of experts turned up the star power:

>> Moderator Alexis Grant backpacked thru Africa in 2008, recently left her journalism job and has just published an e-guide called How to Take a Career Break to Travel. In addition to contributing her own travel tips, she kept the program flowing smoothly and guided the panelists through a wealth of topics.

>> Nancy Bearg, co-author of Reboot Your Life and former National Security Advisor to vice presidents, regaled us with some eye-opening stats about how just burnt out the American workforce is. Did you know we're leaving $21 billion in vacation time on the table annually? Sheesh. Nancy gave us some great tips on how to make your travel work for your career. In 20 years, more than half the jobs out there will be things we don't even know the name of today. Create your own niche to come back to!

>> Kim Palmer, author of Generation Earn, tackled the big issue of money. Before you can figure out how much you need to save for your trip, you need to determine your dream/vision. Do you want to work while traveling? Relocate to another country? Just lounge around? Regardless, get your finances organized before you go, and consider launching a side business to sock away funds for your trip. Craigslist is great place to see what people are getting paid to do!

>> Kinnari Patel, corporate rat race escapee and social entrepreneur, advised us to tap into local hostel staff for information on traveler-friendly job opportunities and volunteer gigs. To find an organization to volunteer with, do your research online but ultimately go within to find a place that's a match your passions.

>> Coley Hudgins represented both the expat and family travel contingents. He's moved his family to Panama, and his youngest daughter will have dual citizenship. (How cool is that?) Kids are more flexible than you can imagine and will roll with anything. Getting your spouse on board can be another story, but as long as he/she has a willingness to get outside his/her comfort zone, you're on your way. He advised us not to underestimate the "boots on the ground" effect of researching travel deals as well as local employment.

Here are a few of my favorite nuggets from the night, as seen around the Twitterverse:

@hungry_wil: search within before you go without.

@pulpologist: You'll come back frm #travel more creative & a risk-taker, and this makes you a more appealing employee!

@CareerBreakHQs: Amen! RT @pulpologist: Wing it! Don't overplan. You'll never have this much freedom again in your life!

@jenniferparker3: Me too! RT @cityandsand Yes. #travel RT @jenniferparker3: Is this something that your spirit needs?

@pulpologist: You will have naysayers. (They're jealous!) Ignore some, let others know how important this is to you.

@BBADWoman: You nvr know the work yr going to get abroad until your boots are on the ground! Good blog name #BootsOnTheGround

As a way to unwind after the event, Mark & I watched the classic movie Harold and Maude. If you've never seen it, or haven't seen it in some time, I highly recommend a viewing. It's not a travel flick, per se, but includes lots of timeless wisdom about finding your passion. And it has an amazing soundtrack by Cat Stevens, who reminds us:

Well, if you want to sing out, sing out
And if you want to be free, be free
'Cause there's a million things to be
You know that there are

And if you want to live high, live high
And if you want to live low, live low
'Cause there's a million ways to go
You know that there are

You can do what you want
The opportunity's on
And if you can find a new way
You can do it today
You can make it all true
And you can make it undo
You see
It's easy
You only need to know

In addition to fueling the passions of future careerbreakers, our DC event raised funds for the Joan Zamborsky Memorial Trust Fund, which provides supplies and enables scientific exploration for an alternative high school in Pennsylvania. Way to go, travelistas!

Many thanks to:
* my kickass panelists, for their energy before and during the event
* DC Travel Tweetup ambassadors Jennifer P, Jennifer L, Kelly, Claudia, and Kim, for helping to spread the word, for mixing and mingling, and for tweeting up a storm
* Lisa & Russ, for rockin' the reg table and icebreakers
* Mark, best.soundguy.ever
* Kelsey, fabulous photog
* Recessions Lounge, for donating the space
* Hosteling International volunteer Bob, for representing HI
* our kickass national sponsors: Intrepid Travel, Hosteling International, and GoMio

Recaps from just a few of the 16 other events:
* Austin
* Minneapolis
* Boston
* Toronto
* San Francisco
* Scenes from Meet, Plan, Go!

To see more photos and get involved in our monthly meetups, check out the DC MPG Facebook page. Oh, and check it out, we made the WaPo!

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Save the Perhentian Islands, Malaysia

2011-10-19T00:00:00-05:00

A recap of last night's stellar Meet, Plan, Go! event is coming later this week, but in the meantime I thought we'd keep the travel inspiration going with this guest post from Daniel Quilter of Ecoteer.

The Perhentian Islands are renowned for being the most beautiful Islands in Malaysia and this title is warranted. The coral sand beaches are lined by palm trees on one side and fringing coral reefs on the other. If Robinson Crusoe was to be filmed they could easily use the Perhentian Islands as the set.

However below the turquoise blue waters not all is good. The coral reefs are dying fast, mainly due to the hordes of tourists which search out this tropical paradise on a daily basis. Corals grow at fastest just 15cm per year and with hundreds of tourists snorkelling and diving the coral reefs daily the breakage of coral is a big issue.

The same goes for the sea turtles of Perhentian. The beaches of the Perhentians are nesting grounds for two species of turtle, green and hawksbill. The number has been slowly declining since 2000. Tourists often seek out nesting turtles and if they get too close they will scare the shy creatures who will then go back into the sea without laying any eggs. If a mother gets to lay her eggs, they then have to evade being collected by poachers who consume or sell the eggs as a local delicacy.

It's not all bad news though! Reef Check Malaysia and Ecoteer both run projects in the islands and several of the resorts are protecting their own piece of paradise. Ecoteer run the community house which is open to the village children in the afternoon as a youth centre. Ecoteer international volunteers also go into the local primary school twice a week to improve the children’s English and to teach them about the environment.

The Ecoteer House is the base for Ecoteer and provides international volunteers with an opportunity to experience the village island life and to give back to the islands' environment. Reef Check runs extensive surveys to establish the health of the coral reefs in Perhentian.

One of the resorts who are doing a lot of good is Bubbles, pictured above. They run a turtle and coral conservation project aimed at protecting the nesting sea turtles and replenishing their fringing coral reef. The seas surrounding Perhentian are very easy for first time scuba divers and during the Bubbles volunteer program you can not only take your first course but the advanced and then become a qualified Reef Check surveyor.

The Perhentian Islands need you, otherwise Paradise will be lost!

You can find out more about these projects at www.ecoteerresponsibletravel.com.

Daniel Quilter has always been inspired by the words and footage of David Attenborough which has created a love and passion for helping this world. After he finished his studies in 2005 in Environmental Science Daniel went on an adventure to Borneo that changed his life. He lived and volunteered in Malaysian Borneo for eight months which culminated in him starting Ecoteer.com. Six years on and Daniel is still helping the nature and people of Malaysia.

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Meet, Plan, Go! it's almost here!

2011-10-17T00:00:00-05:00

Tomorrow night, aspiring careerbreakers will gather in 17 cities across North America to get inspiration and information from the experts.

In DC, we've got a stellar lineup of panelists who will be dispensing advice on finances, travel with children, facing your fears, and lots of other juicy topics. If you haven't already met our kickass panel, here's a second chance.

There's been a flurry of great articles written in anticipation of the big day. Here's a quick roundup of my faves:

* Raising Travelers, by DC Ambassador Jennifer Parker
* How a Career Break Turned My Life Totally Upside Down, by 2010 DC panelist Stephanie Yoder
* How Taking a Break to Travel Can Benefit Your Career, featuring 2011 DC panelist Nancy Bearg
* Does leaving your job to travel sound appealing? by DC panelist Alexis Grant
* Can I Afford to Take a Sabbatical? by DC panelist Kimberly Palmer
* The Event that Changed my Life, by San Franciso panelist Spencer Spellman
* Lisa Lubin: A Cheeky Chick You Should Know, featuring Chicago host and everyone's favorite cheekster Lisa Lubin
* How to take a career break for long-term travel, featuring St Louis host Adam Seper
* It Might be Time for a Career Break, courtesy of MPG national marketing partner BootsNAll
* A Career Change: Why I’m Speaking at Meet, Plan, Go 2011, by Seattle panelist Chris Faust
* Career Break Call to Action (Inspired by the Songs of Glee), by Austin host Jeff Jung
* How to Represent Travel on Your Resume, by MPG co-founder Sherry Ott

There's a ton more -- it'a a nationwide movement, people! -- but I'll leave you wanting more. Grab your passport, and join us tomorrow night to take advantage of this collective wisdom. If you can't make it to DC, there are 16 other locations available for all your careerbreak needs. And if you want to follow along virtually on Twitter, check out the hashtag #meetplango plus our local tag #mpgdc.

Stop dreaming... start packing!

RELATED LINKS:
* DC event registration
* DC event Facebook page
* Meet, Plan, Go! national event
* all MPG-related posts from this blog

Bein' the Tía Loca

2011-10-13T00:00:00-05:00

This week, in the face of some auspicious news (the birth of my first niece, Gwen) and some ominous news (an aunt deciding to accept hospice care for what we think is end-stage breast cancer) I've been ruminating a lot on aunthood.

It has long been my theory that every family has a crazy aunt and a party uncle. Sometimes these characters are packaged together into one person, sometimes the genders are reversed. But they make an appearance in just about every family circus. We seem to have a preponderance in my family, and I'm proud to count myself in the crazy aunt contingent.

Melanie Notkin (aka "Savvy Auntie") wrote an article recently in celebration of PANKs: Professional Aunts, No Kids. Whether childfree by choice or by circumstance, non-breeder aunts play a special role in the lives of their nieces and nephews. Unfettered by rules and homework and other parental structures, we're freer to dish out important lifeskills like how to curse in five foreign languages and the best way to open a wine bottle. There tends to be more negative bias towards the "maiden aunt" as opposed to the swingin' bachelor uncle, but personally I think that just adds to our mystique.

I wouldn't be a proper auntie if I didn't proudly display pics of all my nieces and nephews. So, here, see for yourself how fabulous they all are. :)

James Welcome Rinard, 4 years
big brother in the hizzouse

Jack Elliott Zamborsky, 1 1/2 years
the Jack Attack

Charles Andrew Zamborsky, 3 months
aka Charlie, or C-note

Gwendolyn Ruth Rinard, 1 week
one niece to rule them all

So what advice do I have for these adorable niece- and nephlings?

- See the world, just as soon as you have the inkling to do so! Don't let fears -- your own or the fears of those around you -- hold you back. As Mark Twain famously said, "You will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor." Indeed, stretching past your comfort zone is the only way to grow.

Burning Man 2010, my contribution to the Temple of Flux

- Be radically self-expressed. Speak your mind, even (and especially) when it's unpopular. Be true to yourself, even if it takes an entire lifetime to figure out what that really means.

- Appreciate your parents. They work *really* hard for you, and they put up with a lot of your shit, literally and figuratively. Yes, they're hopelessly uncool, but that's sorta their job. You may think they'll be around forever, and I sincerely hope that's the case, but take it from me, you just never know.

- Love your Mother. And this time I mean Mother Earth. We in past generations have done a crappy job in the stewardship department, but don't let that stop you from getting your hands dirty, knowing where your food comes from, and perhaps even planting your own victory garden.

Salut!
To my fellow tías locas -- particularly Tía Laura and Tía Vanessa of my own clan, but also the rest of you out there who are wrong in all the right ways -- I raise my glass. Despite the title of this post, I don't think Ricky Martin is going to write us a song anytime soon. Somehow Pink seems a more fitting tribute anyway.

Any party uncles wanna weigh in with their perspective?

RELATED LINKS:
* Savvy Auntie: PANKs
* The Truth About the Modern Aunt
* with apologies to Ricky Martin
* P!nk: Raise Your Glass
* Browse all Burning Man posts, view pics from 2010 and 2008
* Celebrate Joan

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