Bejing - great chinese food, but Maccy D's is the recommended breakfast.

Welcome to Bejing ... hold on, where are all the tall buildings? For some reason I was expecting a high rise or two, I am stood in the centre of Bejing and there is nothing taller than 4 or 5 stories. Part of this may be the smog which is circling overhead, obscuring my view and meaning that taking photographs is a little tricky, but I am fairly certain that most of the reason is apparently nothing in the centre of Bejing can overlook the forbidden city, which is where the Emperors used to reside.

The second thing I noticed is that although the hotel has wifi it does not have access to facebook or instagram, the Great Firewall of China appears to have seen to that. Now don't get me wrong, this is not a total disaster, I am not addicted to facebook (honest) but I do like to be able to boast to all my friends about how nice the places I have been are and how great all of the food I have been eating is.

On the tourist trail in Rio

As our time in Rio was short we decided to spend one day on an organised tour which covered most of the major tourist attractions. We spent 150 real each (a budget blowing 50 pounds) to go to see "Christ the redeemer", Santa Teressa, the tiled Selaron steps and sugar loaf mountain (or rather Rio from sugar loaf mountain) over the course of an afternoon. Entry to Christ and the sugar loaf comes to around 75 real and this was covered in the price so the other 75 went on a tour guide and the minibus which drove us around all day.

Whether this expense was necessary or not is debatable as the bus service in Rio (once you get the hang of it) is excellent and at a set price of 3 real a trip, not particularly expensive. I doubt you could cover all 4 things in 1 day on public transport though.

The biggest problem with deciding to do a tour is that you only get a set period of time at each of the places and both sugar loaf and Christ are susceptible to being ruined by cloud.

The beautiful Cartagena

The first thing you notice about Cartagena is the beautiful streets, everywhere you turn in the old town could be a postcard. We really enjoyed walking round every street soaking in the atmosphere.

If, like us, you have been somewhere even slightly off the beaten track (like Taganga) the second thing you'll notice is the price. Everything is pretty much twice the price here (1.5 times the price in Bogota). This is because tourism has hit the area. Toronto is only a 5 hour flight away and America is even closer so several hotels in the upmarket beachfront Bocagrande area cater for the week long, all inclusive, crowd. We, on the other hand, were staying in the more wallet friendly backpacker district around Media Luna street (which is also the red light district!)

So this isn't the most unspoilt part of Colombia in tourism terms, but this has some advantages. The tourist cash means that most of the colonial architecture is well maintained in the old city and there is a good selection of museums (although some of these are mainly in Spanish).

La Paz - the dangers of a little knowledge

If we weren't looking forward to Bolivia in general then I should probably clarify that it was La Paz in particular that was concerning us.

Having read the dire warnings in the Lonely Planet about safety and scams, and having talked with my fiancée's cousin who herself had been a robbing victim in La Paz we were more than a little concerned about the city.

We also both read Rusty Young's Marching Powder (a book about San Pedro prison in central La Paz, which I would highly recommend) on our way through Argentina, so our view of the city was slighty slanted as a den of corruption and police brutality (note to self too much info can be a dangerous thing).

Had the other half not needed to get a visa for Brazil (apparently being Australian in South American is annoying) we'd have certainly not spent the 4 days we did there. In fact we may have skipped it all together.

We didn't arrive in the best of moods, despite paying and astronomical 130 bolivianos each (13 pounds, but bear in mind the rest of our transport around bolivia was about 30 bolivianos a trip) for the bus from sucre to la paz to get a suite style seat (literally turns into a fully reclining bed) with bolivias premium bus company el dorado (the golden bus) we didn't get much sleep as the winding road meant every time I dropped off the bus changed the position i was sleeping in.

It was cold, cloudy, raining and early (6:30am) when we arrived so we weren't really in the mood for looking around we just jumped in a taxi for the hotel. We expected to be waiting around for our room but from this moment on la paz surprised us and began to change our minds about it. We were allowed to check in when we arrived (5hours early) and they even gave us a complimentary breakfast that morning !

Although basic the hotel sagannara was centrally located, had friendly staff who spoke english; pretty good Internet access, hot running water all day, cable tv including axn and a pretty comfortable bed

It also had a great view of the city out of the window. We had been so tired we hadn't really looked, but the city view took my breath away (this was a common theme as the altitude of 3800m above sea level will also do that!).

The Main Street (called various things but referred to by the locals as "El Prado") runs along the floor of the valley and streets climb off it at a dizzying rate, house cling to the steep mountainside, beautiful squares abound and the effect is stunning.

We found the people friendly and helpful, we managed to get proper coffee for the first time in a couple of weeks, with a choice of which country the beans came from! The food was also more varied, there were many options from Dumbo's (which is a Bolivian/Mexican chain fast food place), Thai restaurants a plenty (we tried one and it is certainly interesting to see other people's take on a cuisine, which I think I will cover in another blog post) to the fine dining in the Rosario hotel (the food pictured) which was incredibly good quality and put Bolivian cuisine in a fine dining environment at a fraction of what you would expect to pay in most countries.

I think this reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend after he moved into a house in East London, I was asking him if he felt safe walking home from the tube. His reply was that at first he didn't but then he stopped reading the London Metro and Evening Standard (who delight in saying everything is terrible and the city is going to hell in a hand basket) and since then, although he is still sensible and careful he's not been worried at all. I think I now agree reading too much into the dangers can really stop you from enjoying a place. Luckily La Paz is so amazing we'd forgotten most of the bad stuff we'd read almost as soon as we started walking around.

Pictures below (because the iphone blogger software won't let me put it anywhere else) are the food from the hotel Rosario, the beautiful plaza Murillo, San Pedro prison as seen from San Pedro square and the view from outside our hotel on sanganarra street.

Bolivia, Tupiza to Sucre (it's about beef)

Bolivia was probably the country I was looking forward to the least in our tour around South America. However I have to say that the 10 days I spent in the country so far have been really great despite the fact that we have stopped drinking for this part of our trip.

The people here have been much friendlier than Chile (although a pastor did spend 2 hours on a bus trip trying to convert me), the towns and cities have been a lot less run down than I expected and even the food has been much better than I imagined.

While in the country I have tried llama (very deer like, although a little on the chewy side it was very tasty) and several of the national specialities such as pincho de macho which is a pile of chips, steak, sausage, boiled eggs, tomatoes, lots of onion served in a beer based gravy and topped with cheese and jalapeño peppers and salteñas which are empanada like but with a different pastry.

Our first stop was Tupiza, where we ate like cowboys and I even went horse riding, which was fitting for a town which is heavily linked with the real Butch Cassidy and the sundance kid. The town was kind of how I imagined the Wild West to be, lots of horses and dust (as well as a load of pickup trucks). The food was mainly meat based, lots of beef, which was usually grilled on a barbecue (and which tastes excellent) with chicken and some sausage available as well. In Tupiza the steak was always excellent and cost very little, the one piece of advice I would offer is steer clear of the touristy pizza places, they are double the price of the more Bolivian restaurants. If there are no Bolivians eating in the restaurant you have chosen give it a miss!

Next stop was Potosi, which used to be a rich mining town blessed with abundant silver (apparently it bank rolled spain for 200 years!). Nowerdays the silver has dried up but the mining for other minerals continues around this growing city set 4000m above sea level. We got to Potosi just in time for Carnival in Bolivia. This entails lots of people (kids, adults, women and men) having massive water fights. Tourists are in no way exempt (in fact we found that, lugging our bags) we were good target practice. The mainly problem we had is that this far above sea level running away is difficult, and the other slight issue is that this water bombing starts at the end of January and runs through most of February.

Potosi is not really a tourist city, although there are several hostels in the centre, the main attractions are the mines, mainly to marvel at the third world conditions the people work in to this day. There is also mountain biking and horse riding but we were simply passing through and none of these really fitted our time table, so instead we looked around the old Spanish architecture in the centre and had a meal at a cafe which claimed to be 4060 metres above sea level. The food we found to be almost as good as the Bolivian was the Mexican, there were tacos, quesadillas and nachos all with a Bolivian twist, definitely preferable to the South American take on pasta which has, without fail, been served in a watery tomato sauce.

Our final stop on this leg was Sucre, this was different again from the workman like Potosi, boasting a centre full of beautiful buildings courtesy of the Spanish. Sucre was the former capital (now judicial capital) of Bolivia. It certainly had a more affluent feel in the centre with several up market shops and cafes.

To satisfy my inner science geek we went to Sucre's Dino park where we saw some dinosaur tracks dating back millions of years (not for everyone, I know), they are on a cliff face which they discovered while mining for cement.

Food wise the Belgian run cafe in the main square (whose name shamefully escapes me) was a good source of tasty nourishment and information (and wifi), perfect for a breakfast or lunch before exploring the city.

Although it was a little out of our way I have to say that sucre was well worth the trip, the only downside being the 12 hour overnight bus to La Paz (via Potosi) which followed.

Coquimbito, Mendoza vineyards. Tempus alba and Mevi

The first Argentinian vineyards we cycled to as part of our time in Tikay killa (see previous blog) were Mevi and Tempus alba. Both these vineyards have very modern, picturesque tasting areas that double as restaurants boasting views of the vines with the background of the Andes.

We visited Mevi first and opted for a selection of reserve wines (quite often there are several tasting menus you can try at various price points) which were very drinkable. Although as it was only just past midday drinking strong reds on an empty stomach was a little interesting at first (although we soon warmed to the task).

We were served a 2010 Syrah (too young) and a 2011 Malbec (far too young) both of which would have been good in a year or two. The pick of the wines was (by far) a
2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva. This is from mevi's Barricas del Plata range, the Reserva naming indicates it has been aged in oak, in this particular case for 12 months.

It was a very dark wine deep red and my notes suggest it smelt strong of booze at first but once opened up had hints of fresh cherries.

When drunk it was soft on the palette (not acidic at all) with hints of cherries, chocolate and perhaps a little touch of violet. The oak had given it a lingering slightly smoky finish which was very pleasant

I must have been hungry by this point as my notes said it would be good with a good strong cheddar or Sunday lunch!

The second vineyard was Tempus alba, which had some matched wine tasting with its food and allowed you to order and have a tasting glass with each course. Never people to skip food and matched wines we set about empanadas and a very good 2009 Malbec, followed by a steak and another very good 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon (similar to the Mevi one but with slightly more acidity on the palette.)

The star wine of our tasting was their Pleno (blend) from 2007, which was a predominately Cabernet Sauvignon with some Malbec and Syrah.
The Pleno is a deep red but still slightly translucent, it smells of red fruits, with hints of leather and oak.
It was great to drink, complete on the palette, not acidic and not too rich.

As you drink it there are hints of vanilla among strawberries and as you would expect there is a smooth finish with slightest whiff smoke that leaves you wanting more.

It is perfectly drinkable all by itself (good for "Big Dave" as my fiancee put it, mainly because she wanted a "Cougar Town" reference in the blog) but i think it would also be great with any red meat or cheese.

Will definitely keep an eye out for it in the UK but I can't imagine it will be anything like the same price.

Then for the sake of research we ordered dessert with, as you would expect, a dessert wine accompaniment. This took the form of a pear poached in wine. This was truly excellent, a great dessert for a hot afternoon, served chilled with some ice cream, a biscuit and a small cup of the wine reduction it was poached in.

Despite the fact that we had now had a substantial amount of wine and it was not yet 3pm I did manage to make notes on the dessert wine, which was a sweet Malbec.

This was served slightly chilled and was really dark, almost black, in colour. The overwhelming theme was cherries, the wine itself was not too sweet, perfect wine for someone without a sweet tooth or a good introductions to dessert wine.

It was smooth drinking with a nose of vanilla and red fruits, pleasant and light on the palette with a long finish with hint of tobacco.

After all that wine the 5km journey home was a touch wobbly on bikes, but we made it just about in 1 piece.

Tikaykilla and the Coquimbito, Mendoza wineries

As our first stop in Argentina we settled on Mendoza, set with the spectacular backdrop of the Andes and laced with vineyards.

This is the expensive passage of our trip and accommodation in the vineyards around the city is exclusive and not cheap. We did manage to find one place in Coquimbito which was cheaper than the rest despite boasting excellent reviews on trip advisor, this was called Tikaykilla (http://www.tikaykilla.com.ar/en/index.htm). It is well located, a short taxi or bus from central Mendoza and gives you an excellent starting point if you want to explore some of Mendoza's vineyards. It also has Francesco, the owner, whose knowledge of the area and the wines as well as his happy to please attitude certainly contributed to our enjoyment of our stay in the region.

The local region around the lodge is becoming more and more geared up (excuse the pun) for cycling tours with parts of the main street boasting cycle lanes (with more being built) the police also keep a close we on the traffic so while you are cycling, even on the main roads after a vino or two, you never feel in too much danger, as, certainly towards the end of the day the drivers assume you are drunk and give you plenty of room.

The terrain is also almost completely flat so riding around is not too much of a problem even for the less physically fit of us (Although when the temperature is over 35 it does seem like hard work).

You should also note that the maps which are given out with the bike are not to scale (which we found when we tried to walk one day) and gaps between place (and the distances on signs) frequently say the same distance to your destination for kilometre after kilometre!

Bike hire was 35 pesos (5 pounds) a day and included several discounts for vineyards and restaurants as well as a (not very) stylish helmet.

As with Chile you are expected to pay to taste the produce but this is usually only 30 or 40 pesos (4 to 6 pounds) for 3 or 4 glasses of wine.

There are around 10 vineyards in the area who have tasting and tours, I will cover a few in my next couple of blogs (along with some of my favourite wines). There are also several olive oil producers (you can do a tasting there too) and a boutique brewery called 'beer garden' whose larger style beer I would definitely recommend on a hot day.

Finally it wouldn't be a food blog without mentioning the local cuisine. We had a couple of excellent meals from "casa de campo" which is a family run place near the accommodation who have a lunchtime restaurant where they serve excellent veal (pictured) and an evening restaurant where they do steak (of course) and an Argentine barbecue (meat selection or "death by meat" as it quickly became during the 5 courses of pork and beef). We also had a great beef sandwich overlooking the lake in the main park in Mendoza.

It was not all awesomeness though as my fiancée had what she described as "the worst pastas she'd ever tasted" from one roadside restaurant during our cycling tour from a restaurant which shall remain nameless.

I would definitely recommend a week or two in the area if you are fond of red wine and steak.

Kuala Lumpur, it's all about shopping!

For my first trip to Asia we went for a gentle introduction, Kuala Lumpur formerly part of the British empire (complete with cricket pitch in the centre of the old town) is a common stopping off point on the flight to Australia.

The city is, at first glance, very modern, with the Petronas towers dominating the skyline on clear days (sometimes it can be smoggy). It also has 3 massive upmarket shopping centres which are linked by kilometres of overground walkways for pedestrians (air conditioned of course!)

Food wise there was a huge array to choose from, for tourists most hotels have 2 or 3 restaurants in them, also all of the major shopping centres have a floor of restaurants with cuisines from all around the world. Our hotel, the Royal Chulane, had an excellent Malaysian restaurant which, although more expensive (at 40 ringgit, or 8 pounds for a main) than some options served an excellent curry.

The best place to grab lunch is probably in the food courts of the shopping centres, these are usually on the ground floor and are not to be confused with the sit in restaurants which are usually on the higher floors and charge closer to 30 ringgit for a main. The food courts have a central sit in area (at busy times it can be tough to get a seat) and a Cosmopolitan feel with noodles, curry, Mexican, sushi and McDonalds all jostling for your attention. Meals here usually cost around 10 Ringgit (2 pounds) for a main dish and are usually pretty tasty (I tried a Malay chicken hot pot which was really good and a burrito which was ok).

The hotel we were staying in was a 5 star hotel, complete with pool, gym and 3 restaurants all available for a very reasonable 60 pounds a night, including an interesting "international" breakfast. If you have never seen one of these then you are missing out, food from waffles to curry, not forgetting noodles and croissants! The only thing missing was bacon.

Rather than spend all of our time in the hotel and shopping centres we also ventured out (initially via taxi but after 30 minutes in a bank holiday traffic jam where we moved 200 meters we got out and walked) to try the highly recommended Bijan restaurant which also serves traditional Malay cuisine (most of which seem to be curries and seafood dishes)

Although the food was pretty good and had a very traditional feel I think the excellent meal in the hotel (at approximately the same price) was more of a fine dining experience. If you have time I would do both!