After an exciting day exploring Buenos Aires by bike on the Saturday (which you can read about here), C and I decided to wind it down a notch, and have a wonderfully relaxed Sunday.
Buenos Aires is famous for their weekend markets – the most popular being in San Telmo and Recoleta. However, C and I had heard of another Sunday market that had caught our attention, and that was the Feira de Mataderos.
A few months ago, C and I spent a wonderful long weekend in Buenos Aires. It was such a magical and romantic few days, that it has taken me quite a while to let the whole experience sink in and be able to put it into words. Quite frankly the city stole my heart. The European architecture, the beautiful people, the vibrant restaurant scene – everything about Buenos Aires sang to me.
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Over the last few years, I have been incredibly lucky that I have been able to travel as much as I have, and have had the opportunity to eat at some absolutely wonderful places. So when I was approached by my good friend Andrea who works at The HUNT to write a guest post for them in regards to food and travel, I jumped at the opportunity. Keep Reading
Hello there Dear Readers, I am back! After a wonderful self-imposed break from blogging, I am now recharged and inspired with lots of wonderful stories to tell you and recipes to share.
In order to kick-off The Travelling Chopsticks for 2014, I have the perfect post to share with you- the Hindu festival of Thaipusam! I have to admit, I am really excited about putting this post together as I feel it is not only an interesting topic but a unique festival which can only be experienced in a few countries around the world! Keep Reading
I recently returned from a wonderful weekend stay at the Sheraton in Rio de Janeiro. Nestled in a little cove off Leblon beach, the hotel offers an oasis compared to the hustle and bustle of Ipanema and Copacabana beach, not to mention that the view is breath taking.
One of the most memorable trips that I have ever made with C, was when we went up to this tiny Andean village where C’s nanny comes from. It was an unforgettable trip and definitely one that made a huge impression on me.
C’s nanny, Magna took C up to her village a few times throughout his childhood to visit her family. When C grew up, he continued making the journey visiting her family, and usually bringing with him donations and toys, and in return they lavish him with food and love.
For those of you living in Brazil and South America I thought I would let you know about my experience with booking a flight with Emirates, so that you if you decide to do so, you will not be as surprised as I was with their rather inconvenient policies!
The Background:
C and I are planning a trip to Singapore for Christmas. As you can imagine that is not exactly an easy or cheap destination from Brasilia! However, my brother lives in Abu Dhabi and I know that Emirates flies directly to Dubai from both Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. So we thought we would fly with Emirates to Dubai, visit him for a few days and continue on with our journey from there. We will then fly back home to Brasilia separately, as I will stay on in Singapore longer and C has to come back and work (well someone has to right?). Rather straight forward I thought….oh how I was mistaken!
Issue Number One (more of an annoyance really)
Booking my ticket directly with Emirates was a nightmare. I had done my research online in regards to what the best routes would be from Brasilia. However as C and I were flying back at different times, I wanted to talk to someone in Emirates to help me book the tickets to ensure C and I were on the same flight outbound, as well as help me find a good price. The prices I saw online where reasonable if we were to go directly to Singapore, but when I wanted to include a stop-over for a few days in Dubai, it doubled!
So I called the Emirates Rio office, but was immediately directed to a call centre (judging by the ladies accent) in the Philippines. The call did not start well, when she told me that there was no such place as Brasilia!! After struggling through a 40 minute call, where she kept giving me the wrong information, giving me wrong quotes and neither of us understanding each other, I decided that I would call again. This time I was directed to a call centre in the US. After explaining what I wanted – the woman essentially told me to do it myself and there was no point in her helping me! I have to admit I was lost for words, and after having spent 40 minutes with other lady in the Philippines I just gave up!
In the end, I asked my brother if he could talk to someone in Emirates in Dubai to see if they could help us. What do you know? The next day after my big brother made a few phone calls he had managed to find the perfect flight for us, half the price as quoted to me online and we were all happy! Time to pay for the tickets!
Issue Number Two (a massive issue)
Now armed with my reservation codes for my flights, I phoned up Emirates in Rio again, again I was transferred to a call centre, this time in India. When I wanted to pay for my tickets, I was told I was unable to do so over the phone or online. Apparently it is Emirates policy that if you are buying a ticket to or from South America, you have to do so in person at an Emirates office!! This is a bit of an issue for me, considering Emirates does not have an office in Brasilia! I was then transferred from various call centres around the world (or at least that is what it felt like) and the best advice I got, was from another guy in India who asked me if I had a friend that could go to an Emirates office to pay for my tickets for me!
When I said that wasn’t an option I was transferred to a very helpful Emirates employee in the US, who was trying to figure out how she could help me, and in the end she put me in touch with the Rio office (the same office I had been trying to call for 48 hours). I was given a glimmer of hope here. The Rio office, said that I could fill out a ‘credit card form’, email them the information and they would be able to process the payment! HOWEVER, when she found out, that I do not have a Brazilian credit card, this option was no longer available. It is Brazil’s policy that they cannot accept international credit cards unless in person!
In the end, my only option was to fly to São Paulo and go personally to the Emirates office there and buy my tickets. As luck would have it, C and I had already planned to visit São Paulo for a long weekend. So yesterday first thing in the morning, we took a taxi to the Emirates office and FINALLY we were able to buy our tickets and put this lengthy saga behind us. C and I are now definitely flying to Singapore via Dubai for Christmas :)
I really make a point of not complaining on The Travelling Chopsticks, as I want this forum to be positive and for inspiration, but I felt that this was rather important information to share. Be prepared that if you would like to fly Emirates in South America, that you will have to go to the office in person to buy your tickets, even if it means you have to fly to get there!
In August on our way to visit my family in Sweden, C and I decided to stop off for a few days in Paris. C had never been to Paris before, and the last time I was in the ‘City of Lights’ was when I was backpacking around Europe with two of my very best friends after high school. Let’s just say we had different interests and budget back then, which mainly involved drinking in various European Capitals and being chased by persistent Italian men! So Paris, has always been a place that I wanted to return to and explore as a ‘grown-up’.
Keep ReadingFor the last few posts I have been rather egotistically rabbiting on about C and my move to Brazil. However, something that you guys might not have been aware of is that we did in fact up-root two other little lives with us as well!
Meet Khloe and Pixie, our two Mexican Beauties (admittedly one is more of a beauty than the other…).
This song, or rather the verse of the song was playing in my mind on repeat for a good week before C and I flew to San Francisco, and it continued to do so for at least another week after we got back. Which really isn’t a bad thing as I quite like this song, but not as much as I loved this city!
To be fair, I loved San Francisco (or at least the idea of it) even before I went to visit, I don’t know why, it just seemed like my kind of place – maybe it had something to do with it’s large Asian community or the city’s intense love of food! What ever the reason, I always felt that this may be the one city in the U.S that I could see myself ‘fitting’ into.
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