Ramen Noodles Guide

Despite the fact that I lived almost all my life in a country with a bit less than 11 million inhabitants and with no food or ethnic diversity, I adjusted very well to different ingredients, palates and textures.
You learn a lot about a country through the cuisine: tasting, respecting and adjusting.

Ren's Ramen. DC area

I was introduced to ramen in Chicago by a Japanese friend (thanks, Eisuke!). He took us to a restaurant called Santouka in a Japanese mall. I felt in love at first scoop. It was a fascinating moment for me, an incredible tasty and fatty broth with slices of pork meat. I was tasting something that became one of my favorite dishes.

Kokutei, Kumamoto

Along the years I tasted different types of ramen in different places in the world and I learned more about it.

There are 4 different types of broth: shio (salty), tonkotsu (pork bones cooked for average 12 to 15h), shoyu (soy sauce) and miso (miso paste).

Tokyo

Regions across Japan present variations on the way they prepare ramen. In Sapporo, miso broth is the  speciality. Kitakata has an unique shoyu soup made out from pork broth mixed with dashi created from dried anchovies. Tokyo's tradicional ramen is served with soba in a dash soup, that changed a bit and nowadays they use chicken stock and shoyu mixed with dashi which creates a unique flavor. Yokohama broth tends to be heavy, it's made with shoyu and traditionally is paired with chicken, pork or beef based broths. In Wakayama there are 2 types of broth, the shoyu and the tonkotsu shoyu. Hakata is known for tonkotsu and it's my favorite broth.

Toki Underground, DC

The internationally famous ramen chain, Ippudo is specialized in Hakata ramen. I already had ramen   in 3 different locations: NYC, Singapore and Hakata, Japan. The quality is very consistent. 

Ippudo, Sinagapore

I've been trying several ramen shops in Washington DC. Toki Underground is an adaptation of Taiwanese ramen, it's good but it is not worth the hype (although, you should try their pork buns). Sakuramen and Daikaya (I love their avocado ice cream) are just OK, low quality. So far my favorite ramen shop in this area is Ren's Ramen. It's legit and it serves Sapporo style ramen.

Ren's Ramen, DC

In Chicago my favorites were Santouka and Wasabi. 

Fall Colors Trip: Cape Cod

Since we moved to the US we keep this tradition (Oh boy, I really don't like this word) of traveling every fall to see the foliage colors. It's just another excuse to plan a trip. 

Coast Guard Beach

This year we went to Cape Cod. 

We flew from DC to Providence, RI. And from there we drove all the way to Cape Cod.

Coast Guard Beach

The trip didn't start exactly how we planned. 

For the first (and last) time we booked a car with Payless Car rental and it was a disaster. They didn't have cars available and there were many customers in the same situation. We waited for 2h in the counter to get a car (no lunch, no compensation and no apology). Customer service is awful. They tell you that if they don't have cars, it's the customer's fault and they can't do anything about it...  You pay less but you'll get in trouble. Check their #paylesscar on Twitter and reviews on Yelp before you decide to rent a car with them.

To compensate this tragedy we needed a treat. Our first stop was at Matunuck Oyster Bar to have lunch.
Food was delicious. Very fresh and cooked to perfection.
In the US I'm always afraid of overcooked or seasoned seafood. But these guys know how to prepare it, simple.
Thankfully this time we didn't skip dessert, we had a delicious goat cheesecake with honey.

Lobster roll with no mayo

Fresh and delicious oysters

One of the highlights of our trip was whale watching in Provincetown. Our friends ElFero went there before and they highly recommended it.
I'm not a fan of boats, beside that was very cold and the sea was choppy... I barely could move from my seat from almost all the trip. For the first 40 minutes I was planning to unfriend ElFero but when I saw the whales I had a change of heart. It was worth it.

Whaling Watch 

We did a short trek around the Salt Pond Visitor Center in the early morning. The views are beautiful. And it's a good spot to check the fall colors.

The ranger at the Salt Pond Visitor Center recommended us the Coast Guard Beach. It's a gorgeous place where you can take a walk or just take a break. You can also visit the Nauset Light and the Cable Station House.

Coast Guard Beach

Providence, Rhode Island doesn't have anything to see. We went to Brown University campus and we checked downtown. It took us less than 1h.
Instead, you should consider New Bedford. The Whaling Museum is very interesting.

View from the Museum over New Bedford's port

Cape Cod is gorgeous but I still prefer Maine. It's even more natural, not so developed. And it's not so touristy and crowded during the low season.

24h in Hong Kong

Stopovers are a good way to break your travel time and to add more places to your itinerary. This is particularly useful in small cities. We wouldn't travel to Hong Kong as a final destination, because its a long flight for such a small place and it doesn't have much to see or do for us.

During the plane approach to the runaway we could see the massive construction. Even in hills there are skyscrapers. It's impressive. We live in the US, we are used to big cities, but we never ever saw anything like this before.

HK is an interesting mix of Asian and western cultures. But it seems that it is loosing a bit of its Asian charm and getting more and more westernized. There are luxury brand stores and fancy restaurants almost everywhere. 

The aspects that I most appreciated about HK were the dodgy alleys among modern skyscrapers, the hole in the wall type of restaurants and the promenade along the Shing Mun River.
I didn't appreciate so much the rudeness. Locals are very rude and they look proud of it. I couldn't handle this authenticity. Who said that New Yorkers are rude?!

We had 2 great foodie experiences and one mediocre.
The bad experience almost ruined our perception about food in HK. We went to a popular restaurant in the financial area, Yung Kee Restaurant. We found out that it is overrated and overpriced. Avoid it at all costs.

Sweet bread with pork

Short pork ribs

Because Rui never gives up and I always support his decisions (well, not always...), we went to the cheapest 1 star Michelin restaurant to have breakfast. How cool is that?!
We had a feast. I enjoyed everything but if I had to recommend something I would tell you to get the sweet bread filled with pork meat, the mix of sweet and salty is insane. And the pork short ribs.
We went there in the early morning and it was easy to get a table.

Beef ball soup

To finish our stopover in HK in style we had lunch in the Tak Fat Beefball. It's a food stall located in a crowded market with food stalls and locals everywhere and with no names or signs. Check my tips to find it here.
The beef ball soup was pretty tasty but we had some issues to order. We were willing to add slices of brisket too but the lady wasn't particularly nice or helpful and she didn't speak English.

The promenade is a must see. You'll have beautiful views over to Hong Kong island.
We were planning to take the tram to Victoria Peak but it was so cloudy and humid that there was no point in going there. We wouldn't see anything. I do recommend taking the star ferry, great views on both sides of Kowloon and HK island!

Mayan Sites in Central America

During our trips in Latin America we had the opportunity to visit some of the most emblematic Mayan sites.

Tikal, Guatemala

Our first stop in Mexico was Chichen Itza, one of the largest Mayan cities. This archeological site is impressive. The Castillo Temple is at the center of it. 

Architecture styles are very diverse. The Skull Platform is one of my favorite styles. 

Chicen Itza, Mexico

Chicen Itza, Mexico

As I said elsewhere, Tulum Ruins are very different from the other sites that we visited because they're situated in a cliff along the coast. The sea and sand colors create a unique backdrop. Its very well preserved. The Templo Dios del Vento is my favorite. It's right on top of the sea. 

There are iguanas everywhere.

You'll need a good sunscreen and a hat.

Tulum, Mexico

Iguana

Palenque is smaller than Chichen Itza. But supposedly it contains some of the finest sculpture and carvings. 

Its not so well preserved like Chichen Itza or Tulum. It looks like absorbed by the jungle. Some of the structures are partially destroyed. 

Palenque, Mexico

Palenque, Mexico

When we went to Tikal, in Guatemala, gang-related violence was not as prevalent in Peten. We felt safe enough to visit the ruins by ourselves without a guide and carrying our backpacks. The heavy rain and muddy path were the only challenges that we had to face along with our inappropriate footwear (Crocs). 

Tikal is also very unique in the sense that the ruins lie among the tropical rainforest. Its one of the largest Mayan sites.

The temples in the main plaza are very tall, very different from the ones that we saw in the other ruins, the tallest measures 70 metres. 

During our visit we saw monkeys and other exotic specimens. 

Tikal, Guatemala

Tikal, Guatemala

In Copan, Honduras, the principal challenge is the temperature. It's very hot and humid. Even in the early morning. 

The ruins are not very well - preserved. One of the most spectacular things about this site is the museum. Inside there is a reconstruction of the Rosalia Temple. You enter through a long and dark tunnel with a snake's shape and then you'll see a large red construction. The dramatic tunnel meant to mimic the experience archaeologists had while exploring the site.

Copan, Honduras

Copan, Honduras

Foodie Guide to Taipei

Taipei is a vibrant and cosmopolitan city. And a paradise for foodies.

First morning, after a 14h flight that arrived at 5am to Taipei, we were trying to find a place to have breakfast. While trying to find another place that turned out to be closed, we came across this food stall full of locals. Why not?

Food was not exciting but the experience was awesome. Some years ago I would refuse myself to have food in an alley, in a foreign country. I would argue with all the diseases and hygienic conditions.  Now I don't worry about it so much.

I love to explore night markets and see what locals eat. One of the best food markets where I have ever been was in Singapore.
This time we didn't have food in the food markets because we didn't have any room left after all the great meals we had in Taipei.

We had this amazingly tasty beef soup noodles at Lao Wang Ji. The broth was very tasty, the meat  was tender to the point that melted in our mouths and the noodles were cooked to perfection.

We also had a beef noodle soup at Yong Kang but it wasn't as good. The broth is a bit different, its slightly spicy and more fatty, the quality of the meat chunks weren't good. But the steamed pork rib with sticky rice was terrific. It comes with sweet potato on bottom.  You can't miss it!

CNN called it one of the best desserts in the world. At first I found it a little exaggerated but after I tasted that I have to agree... It's damn good!
Ice monster is the right name for this dessert. It's huge. One is enough for 2 people.
It's shaved ice flavored with mango and big chunks of mango on bottom.

Having dinner at Din Tai Fung was challenging. We weren't aware of the waiting list system and we wasted some time trying to figure it out (learn more about here on my review).
My favorite was the crab roe and pork shumai.
It is worth the long wait.

We tried to have breakfast at Fuhang but the line was crazy. At least more than 1h wait. We ended up going to the King of Soy Milk. There was a line but just to take out.
I wouldn't eat this food often because it was too oily but it was a great experience.
You have to try the salty soy milk (dou jiang). The taste is very unique. It looks like a soup with tinny dried shrimps, tofu and scallions.
The radish cake was flavorless.

In our last day in Taipei we went to this amazing restaurant called Du Hsiao Yeuh. It was one of our best meals in Taiwan.
We ordered several dishes and everything was delicious.

If you are traveling around Hualien try to book in advance a table at Moon House. We read about it while there and we showed up but they only take reservations. It was crowded, the staff was extremely unfriendly but the food smelled amazing. If you get the chance, tell me how it was. 

South America: Amazing Peru

My trip in South America is among the most memorable ever made. 

We backpacked in Peru, Chile and Bolivia for almost one month. We traveled by bus, colectivo (small local minibuses), train and boat. Always with locals. 

Many times we bought bus tickets from dodgy guys in the street that approached us with a sweet deal. And in the end we thought, OMG this will not work. Surprisingly it worked... Always. The only thing that didn't work was the bus class, "- Bus for tourists, no locals! Very comfy, lots of space"... Turns out it was the crappiest bus ever, very old, falling apart and crowded with locals trying to smuggle galletas and candies, avoiding custom duty.

Oh boy, that was something! But no regrets, now we have stories to tell. 

It was very easy for us to travel in Peru, we speak the language and we love the food. And the landscapes are breath taking. 

I would avoid to spend more than 24h in Lima. The capital doesn't have anything to see, it's very polluted and not particularly interesting. The nicest thing there was an exhibition about the Sendero Luminoso in the Museo de La Nacion. We learned more about Peruvian contemporary History. And that was useful to understand better the country and people. We also had a great dinner in Miraflores with a dear peruvian friend.

I recommend other areas like Canon del Coca, Cusco or Arequipa. All of them are nice.

Machu Pichu is a must see. But that you already know. What you need to know is that the closest city to the site, Aguas Calientes is a tourist trap. A shabby town full of crappy hostels and "wanna be western" restaurants. Other relevant info is that you'll need a very efective repellent and maybe consider pants instead of shorts. A little bit of my legs was showing and these damn bugs ate everything they could... 50 blisters in a 5-8cm space in each leg!

When we were crossing the border from Chile to Argentina we met two travelers that went there before and they had their legs covered by huge mosquito bites. I have to say that my first thought was, "how naif to come to South America without a repellent". But these mosquitos are tough and pesticide is a stroll in the park for them. Try citronella oil. 

If you are planning to go to Waynna Picchu you have to wake up very early in the morning... 5am. All the crappy hostels serve breakfast around 5am.

Going up is tough because of the elevation, it's hard to breath. But going down is not that easy either, it's very steep.

This area is covered by a dark cloud in the early morning. So the best time to go to Wayna Pichu is the 2nd or 3rd shift. Otherwise it could ruin your purpose to go there to see the views over Machu Pichu.

I always wanted to see lamas. I saw so many during this trip. But when face to face with them I gave up of trying to hug them (I hugged a baby one... Rui had to pay 1 sole for that extravaganza). They looked a bit intimidating. They are taller than me...

During our trip to Machu Pichu we stopped in Ollantaytambo. It's a small city with very well preserved ruins. We had lots of fun there.

Another extravaganza was flying over the Nasca Lines. Rui really wanted to do that since he was a little boy (some kids want to go to Disney, Rui wanted to come to the Peruvian desert...). It was pricey. But well worth it. I highly recommend it. We could see all the figures. The other passengers in our flight were greek but the captain thought that we were all Italians (only God knows why) and he spent all the time saying italian words like bello, ragazza, ciao.... At certain point the greeks started playing the same game. It was really funny.

After that we took a night bus (lots of fun... Not!).

Paracas was other of the destinations on our plan. We went there just to take a boat to see marine life. We knew that the city didn't have anything to see... And we were right! Nothing to see and few places to eat. But the next morning tour was awesome.

We went there in August and we needed warm clothes in some areas, a light fleece coat was enough for me.

Don't stop taking the altitude sickness medication. I stopped while in the lower areas and I felt terrible when we went up again.