Packing 2 Weeks of Vacation into a Carry-On

Three years ago I was so proud of myself for packing only a mid-sized suitcase and a carry-on bag for a 16 day tour of South America, with room to spare for souvenirs.  This time I'm heading off to Mongolia and China for some time on horseback and hiking for 2 weeks.  I can't imagine putting a suitcase on the back of a pack horse, let alone lugging around more than 2 bags.  Which is why this time I decided to buy a single 55-litre backpack and take one day bag.  Plus I don't want my luggage being checked and possibly delayed to start the vacay, so I feel safer with a carry-on.  I have all I need, the trick is now to edit and compact.

Baggalini tote and Gregory backpack

Space Bags
They're my best friend.  They should be your best friend.  Easily picked up at BB&B and bring a coupon! Shirts in one bag, pants/skirts in the other.  Nine shirts for 2 weeks, banking on changing clothes at least 2-3x a day.  One pair of jeans, 1 dress, and 2 pairs of shorts.  Undergarments in another bag.  You can fit about 6 shirts in a single medium bag.  Fold (don't roll), put in bag on the floor, kneel on it, seal it, then fold the entire bag in half and kneel on it again, therefore letting the rest of the air out of the valves.

Do laundry halfway through the trip.  If your hotel/hostel doesn't have laundry service, either take it to a laundry service or I tend to wash my items in the bathroom sink.  Two small bungee cords can act as a clothesline and binder clips as clothespins, and I throw those in my accessories catch-all bag.

The trick to packing only half of what you need: MONOCHROMATIC.  Pack blacks, whites, greys, or pack earthtones.  This way you can easily interchange outfits and minimize the number of shoes you bring (I  know, I know, I once brought 14 pairs on one cruise... before I learned how to slim down).

On the Plane
Wearing hiking shoes onto the plane will save space inside you luggage (and in weight!).  I slipped a pair of flip-flops into a small bag inside my handbag so slip into these once on the plane (and taking a pair of ankle socks to sleep in).

Wearing linen pants, tee, and hoodie to be comfy for a 14-hour flight, plus now I don't have to squeeze a hoodie and another pair of pants into the bag.  If your cabin class doesn't come with an amenities kit, then pick up a couple disposable toothbrushes at the pharmacy to freshen up when you land.  For immediate access to things I may need the most during the flight, I pack my favorite multi-pocket bag with earplugs, headphones, eye mask, Tylenol, Tums, eye drops, tissues, iPad/iPhone cord, passport, in-flight Rxs, wallet, socks, and disposable toothbrushes.  The little loop on the end lets me hang it on the tray table clip on the seat in front of me, or tuck into the seat back pocket.  Loving Flight 001 for their clever packing accessories.

Flight 001 in-flight accessories bag

This goes into my day pack, which is a durable tote-turned-backpack from Baggalini.  This bag will also include paper copies of travel plans, camera equipment, flip-flops, and a scarf.  Always bring a scarf/wrap.

Toiletries
You don't need to pack your entire medicine cabinet.  But if you're susceptible to picking up illnesses, pack some basics and you can refill at your destination.  Don't pack the whole container; put pills into plastic baggies, label them, then roll up.  Keep all medications inside a single pack.  Target has good $1 accessory bags in their travel items section in-store.  Bring liqui-gels if possible instead of the full liquid versions of some medications so they don't take up space in your single allowable 3oz/1qt liquids bag.  If you're carrying prescription meds, ask the pharmacist to put them into small bottles, if possible, but keep them in their original pill case with the Rx attached because you may need to justify to some Customs officer why you're carrying them, especially if you have to carry needles or other medical devices.

Label everything that's not in its original packaging

On my ganeral must-carry list: Imodium, Tums, Zyrtec/Claritin, Tylenol, Gas-X, Zithromyacin, DayQuil, Benadryl (for allergies or cold), bug spray, Benadryl stick (for bug bites).  In a separate bag I keep a first aid kit: band-aids, moleskin, alcohol wipes, and if you have any special emergency items (EpiPens, inhalers, etc).   I like keeping the sample sizes of toothpaste that I get from visits to the dentist to repurpose for traveling. One more pack could carry jewelry and hair accessories, and another carry makeup.  But where to put all these small bags?

I love my Swiss Army toiletry bag to keep everything together.  Keep all the small bags in here, along with a small comb or folding brush, razor, toothbrush and paste, and when you arrive, unroll it and hang in the restroom.  If you're freshening up at the airport, this is easy to hang by the sink in most cases.

Swiss Army toiletry bag keeps it all together

You can also reduce your toiletries: Shampoo can double as laundry detergent.  Conditioner can double as shaving cream.  PLEASE don't bring the entire shampoo bottle.  Grab sample sizes from the store.  There are sample sizes available for nearly everything you'll need: hairspray, deodorant, shamp/cond, lotion, etc.

Keep it simple, sample size everything

Balance Your Bag

It's like Tetris

For some leftover items like chargers, power adapters, a little bag works to keep these getting lost inside your luggage.  Put the heaviest items at the bottom or lower portion of your bag so it doesn't tip over when you stand it up.  If you're packing a backpack, as you pack it, try it on.  If it's pulling to one side, reorganize to put the heaviest weight down the center.  I'm also bringing fabric shopping bag in case I fill that up with souvenirs and want to check my bag on the way back.  If you plan on doing a lot of shopping, haggle for a cheap small bag to check for your return flight.

Madonna was Here

What is a trip to Buenos Aires without first watching Evita and visiting the Casa Rosada to see the balcony from where she gave her famous speech, or from where Madonna sang "Don't Cry for Me Argentina." This was our final day in BA as we were departing in the evening.  I had mentioned a slight sore throat the night before, and awoke in the morning to a slight fever, joint pain, and a very painful throat.  Many previous trips had prepared me for this so I had a few Tylenol Cold pills in stock.  These helped but I didn't want to exert myself too much today.

The Casa Rosada was a good first stop to enjoy the sunshine and the fountains and greenery of the surrounding Plaza de Mayo.  Across the plaza was encampment of war veterans from the battle over Las Islas Malvinas, or Falkland Islands.  This island group was mentioned so often in recent days that we had the feeling that Argentina wasn't about to give them up to the UK without a fight.  I reserve judgement on this to someone more knowledgable on the subject.  

A lovely walk down tree-lined Avenida de Mayo kept us out of the hot sun, and me into a pharmacy in search of throat losenges.  I took a number and stood in line with the others until my number was called and I figured out exactly what I wanted.  Oh, seven years of Spanish classes, you have served me well.  We weren't trying to pack too much into the day as we were already exhausted and sore from exploring this weekend, and fatigue was setting in from whatever illness I picked up, but at least I was active and not entirely miserable.  We powered on and decided a lingering lunch would hit the spot.  We returned to La Cholita in Retiro, this time for chorizo and a rack of ribs. We had thought the chorizo appetizer was going to put us over the top, but once the ribs arrived, we were silent as we gnawed at the deliciously-sauced bones.  From all the sodium, heat, and walking, just about every appendage in our body was swelling.  It felt nice to sit, but will feel fantastic to be back inChicago drinking nothing but water and eating a salads for a few days until we can lose this meat belly that we've developed, happily, I might add.

As we headed back to the hotel, I must comment on the degree of graffiti in this town.  If there is a surface, it will be drawn upon.  Most is illegible tagging, but along Avenida Justo by the train station, the walls are vividly colorful with imaginative art.  It makes for a more interesting stroll.  No wonder BA is known for its famed street art.  We made one final stop at a wine shop near our hotel to take back a few bottles.  Aside from the ones we were already having shipped to us, I also picked out a cab-Malbec blend from. Mendoza, a sparkling brut, and a Patagonian Syrah.  I could have easily gone hog wild in here but three bottles was enough for the time being.

In short, there is so much more to see in BA than we ever had the opportunity to experience in four short days.  We maximized as best we could, but it deserves another few visits.  The food, vibrancy, and passion make this city truly unique.  Outside the city limits lies an expanse of countryside filled with vineyards, pampas, polo, soccer, horsemanship, mountains, penguins, and rugged terrain.  I am happy that we had a sampling, would be happier still to return and explore this diverse country.  South America truly holds my heart once again.

Classic Buenos Aires

We had it on good authority that the best brunch in the city was where we had already made reservations, at Hernan Gipponi Restaurant at the Fierro Hotel.  This was a brunch tasting menu.  I have never seen a brunch tasting menu.  At only $30 per person, we were ready for this.  Since it was Easter Sunday, we decided to dress up a bit for lunch.  Not for religious purposes, but because we figured everyone else would be dressed up.  The weather was beautiful and peaceful, a calm breeze with birds chirping neon do the crunch of dead leaves underfoot as we walked to brunch.  We were served about 9 courses that ranged from a fruit selection, to an over-easy egg on mashed potatoes with nori, to shrimp, a tiny finger sandwich, fish empanada, whitefish, risotto ossobucu, a Campari cocktail, and yogurt mousse.  Lovely.  We were certifiably more stuffed than we were from any previous meat-based meal.  

The next course of action would be to make our way to the San Telmo neighborhood in time for the antique market.  We had stopped to watch tango performances in the park.  These dancers were putting on a fine show, but so much more elaborate than the dancers we had seen the night before.  Beautiful in their grace nonetheless.  I am loving the national export on display in this city, the beauty and allure of tango.  We explored the market in depth until I spotted a set of French vintage champagne glasses in an art neauveau design.  I bought the set of 8 from a set of very handsome Argentine twins, and they thanked us for the transaction with a traditional kiss on the cheek.  I had been in search of these types of champagne glasses (not flutes) for years and was thrilled to find a vintage set, because I am about to toss out my flutes at home.  

We thought we were done shopping until we spied a handmade hat shop and made our way inside.  We love hats.  I love interesting hats.  And interested indeed I did find.  A black felt chapeau reminiscent of Carmen Sandiego.  It had to be mine.  Carrie walked out with a colorful scarf and our excursion was complete.

We decided the ideal way to wrap up our last full day was to make our way to Puerto Madero to find the Paseo de Mujeres bridge, one of the most famed pieces of modern architecture in Buenos Aires.  This area used to be a series of ports and docks where cargo was unloaded.  It has been reclaimed and turned into lofts, condos, and waterfront restaurants.  We had passed the Argentine frigate Sarmiento and for merely $2 pesos we could explore. Heck, it was a boat and a surprise inexpensive tour so we hopped aboard.  In and out of small passageways we crept, exploring the upper and lower decks like giddy children.  We're on a boat! We left to cross over the Paseo de Mujeres that by then was brightly illuminated in the dusk.  What is interesting about this area is that all the streets and passageways are named after famous national women.  Today Argentina also has a female president.  Thinking back to the influence and love of Evita, South America does indeed embrace and hold in regard their women.  America seems generations behind in equality and tolerance.  It is an unfortunate comparison to our culture but lovely and refreshing to be in a nation that appreciates and celebrates female influence.  Or perhaps I notice it more because of the lack of it in the US.  Greatest nation in the world?  *pause*

Dinner found us at a pizzeria on the waterfront with a bottle of wine on the patio with a view of the bridge, and under the shadow of the giant cargo cranes left behind from the working dock era.  I loved that these were kept in place, illuminated and perched like origami cranes, sitting sentry to the masses below.  Our bodies were still sore today, our feet swollen, our joints aching from the exertion of the weekend.  One more day before departure as we plotted our moves the next day.

Asado and Tango

This is the worst place in the to world to be a vegetarian.  

Parillas (steakhouses) on nearly every corner, the smell of asado wafting from someone's backyard.  Although it is autumn in Buenos Aires, there is always time for a barbecue, as patios and yards are I outfitted with giant rotisserie grills.  Our little charcoal Webers and oversized gas grills have nothing on the grilled meats culture here.  And bless them.  Friday night we dined at La Cabrera, which was filled with locals and tourists alike.  How best to start off the trip with our first major meal as the national pastime. We began with a beef empanada and blood sausage - morcilla - which oozed from its casing when coerced with a knife, served with a side of chimichurri.  It was one of the strangest items on the menu so of course it had to be on our plates.  This was heavenly.  More so than I had expected.  I do hope I can find this in Chicago. If you can get past the appearance, name, and texture, the taste is worth it, but this is no beginner's meal.  My ribeye arrived, along with Carrie's rump roast, served with numerous tiny sides: marinated mushrooms, mashed potatoes, salad, creamed zucchini, baby corns, pumpkin mash, sun-dried tomatoes, marinated red peppers with creme, and more chimichurri.  Spectacular.  Despite my lacking appetite and inability to consume much quantities of food in recent months, I had no problem downing my entire steak and most of the sides.  Despite the sound of the quantity of food, it wasn't American portion sizes, thank goodness.  We accompanied with a lovely bottle of DV Cabernet-Malbec blend from Mendoza and were decidedly content for our single activity of the day.  

Saturday was going to be our major power day of sightseeing, shopping, and dancing.  We navigated the subway ($.30!) to Recoleta Cemetery where BA elite rest in eternal peace.  This had the familiarity of Pompeii, with the cobblestone alleyways and aisles upon aisles of mosoleums of assorted design: baroque, art neauveau, Art Deco, classic, Greek, Egyptian.  Some tombs were broken upon, glass shattered, and some were actively attended to with fresh flowers.  Groundkeepers quarters were tiny shacks tucked between structures.  Thanks to the Rough Guide - our guidebook of choice -  we easily found our way to the tomb of Familia Duarte where Evita is laid to rest.  This cemetery was also our first encounter with other tourists.  We have noticed here the lack of Americans and lack of English speakers.  Usually there is more English spoken as a second language wherever we have traveled, but this we were more dependent on spanish than ever.  Luckily the accent isn't thick or rapid so I have and more success with comprehension and communication than usual.

We strolled through the Recoleta neighborhood en route to our next stop, nestled in a passageway of boutiques, up some back stairs, and rang a buzzer.  This is the home of Comme Il Faut, the tango shoe of note and fame.  It is one single room with the appearance of a French boudoir.  I gave the lady my shoe size and preferred heel height, and shortly nearly 20 boxes of shoes appeared on the carpet at my feet.  Yes, it is true that I just started to tango, but I've been dancing salsa for 10 years, so these shoes were going to play double duty.  Salsa shoes tend to have a shorter heel below 2.5" so I was pleased that she had 7cm/3" heels available.  The only selection available to actually see was a small glass case on the wall of their latest designs.  The rest of the shoes are tucked away in a back room, and I was at the mercy of the lady who brought out every variation of styles in my size and height.  I ended up with two amazing pairs, one in teal and red, and a spectacular pair in black suede with a silver snakeskin strap.  Two silk shoe bags and a tote and we were merrily on our way.

We happened across an English tea shop called Smetterlings on the way over so we popped back in for a spot of tea and a treat.  I have been trying to taste new things here, and although I am not a fan of caramel, I did sample the dolce de leche mousse cake that Carrie picked out.  I didn't dislike it, but sweets just aren't my style.  However, the black tea with lime hit the spot and was a nice respite from the activities of the day so far.  Onward to lunch!  Yes, we did have tea and dessert before lunch.  Whatever.  We found another parilla called La Cholita and stopped in because they had choripan on the menu.  This is chorizo split in half on bread with chimichurri.  Oh this was spectacular.  It was a must-eat on our list.  I do believe we may return for another meal, as the men next to us had ordered a slab of ribs.

After lunch our wanderings brought us to July 9th Avenue, which is considered one of the widest boulevards in the world.  We had passed the Teatro Colón opera house, then onward to the famed obelisk in the middle of the boulevard, where of course a picture was in order before it was time to head back to prepare for the next adventures of our day.

What is more Argentine than meat, wine, and tango? Our next stop brought us to Anuva Wines, a wine loft run by a man named Diego than was in the Palermo neighborhood behind an unmarked door.  It opened up to a marvelous loft with spiral stairs, a veranda, and of course a giant grill for asados.  We sampled five wines from the country: three malbecs from Mendoza, a torrentes white from Salta, and a sparkling extra brut.  All were accompanied by tapas.  Once the official tasting was complete, we were free to finish off the bottles.  And perhaps open more. The conversation really began to flow around the table with other travelers from São Paulo, Scotland, and New York.  This was an excellent sales tactic as we were properly lubricated from polishing off the bottles, so eye decided to purchase a few more and ship them back home.

Our plan for the day had been to take a quick nap after this before heading out to tango.  Back at the room I was able to snooze for about an hour while Carrie typed away on her iPad.  She isn't a night owl so this may may be a challenge for her as Buenos Aires is known to be a nocturnal city.  Although I am normally up very late on weekends, we did have an early start and this start and this may be challenge for me as well.  I grabbed a pair of my newest shoes and headed to a community center of sorts, into the basement, where we managed to find a table we had reserved earlier.  Thank goodness we did this as it was nice to have some space to claim as our own.  The evening began at 11pm with group lessons.  I didn't join in at first, but then I saw a young man standing by the wall alone because he didn't have a practice partner.  I approached him and we joined the lesson together.  He had been dancing only a couple weeks longer than I so I didn't feel as awkward as a beginner.  We changed partners a few times, I danced with a few that were more experienced than I but held up well.

At 12:30am the lessons ended and the dance floor opened up for practica, the open dance for all.  I sat back down with Carrie as we ordered a bottle of cider.  Two gentlemen next to me ask me to dance, to which I stated as a precaution that I was just learning, but one asked to save a dance for me later.  We happily sat watching the dance floor fill with dancers and marveled at them twirling around the floor.  Eventually the music changed to swing style, and another gentleman asked me to dance.  Goodness, haven't danced swing in years, but why not.  We got a couple dances in and I started to loosen up.  The next song rotation was salsa.  Salsa! I was now in my element.  Not many men here danced this, but I managed to find one who did and we hit the dance floor.  It was marvelous. I was as though I was back in Chicago spinning and kicking my way around the floor.  I felt fantastic and my partner was good.  We stayed out there for a couple salsas, and for one bachata.  He seemed nice enough, and was kind to ask me for a tango next when the music rotated again.  

Throughout the evening we did find that next to no one here spoke English. I was able to hold some conversations in Spanish with the table next to me and with the people I danced with during the lessons.  The partner i found for salsa and tango spoke English so it was easier for him to teach me a few new tango moves. We must have been on the dance floor for 3 more songs.  He seemed more interested in chatting with me than dancing, but I did learn a few things and held my own well on floor. Eventually I had to escape his grasp and return to Carrie because he was starting to get intrusive.  I really do enjoy partner dancing, but too much talk can turn into someone getting too friendly and that becomes uncomfortable.

By 2:30am I was ready to go.  The later the evening went, the more experienced local dancers hit the floor and I wasn't about to be held captive by the man that I had danced with.  And my dogs were barking.  So as we walked back to the hotel at nearly 3am, the city was in full swing.  We passed nightclubs with velvet ropes, long lines, and sharma stands.  Some things never change in many countries.  Greasy meat at 3am always hits the spot.  By the end of this day, I no longer recognize my feet.  Swollen, blistered, torn, and scarred from the events of the night and day.  We will feel every bit of this in our bones tomorrow.

For now, I couldn't be happier.  Dancing in Buenos Aires with the locals.  Tasting the marvelous wines of the region.  Eating the best beef in the world.  Experiencing this beautiful city with tinges of French and Italian influence.  More exploration lies ahead.

Can You Pull Bags Off a Plane After Loading? And the Currency Scam

Yes.  Kinda. With extreme exceptions.

Our trip to Buenos Aires began with a lovely light meal and sangria at O'Hare to set the tone.  We each decided to check a bag because we planned on shopping in BA and bringing back wine.  We boarded our plane and discovered there was a 10 minute departure delay.  Then 20 minutes.  Then an hour.  Our connection in Dallas was originally 2.5 hours and that was shrinking quickly.  We did the math and if our plane departure was delayed to a certain point, we would miss our connection to BA. We quickly searched our phones for alternate flights and routes.  We had a backup plan to re-route through Miami.  When the announcement came that we would be delayed again, we sprang into action.  I called the AA Gold number immediately to try to rebook, and Carrie flagged the flight attendant to see if wee could get off the plane.  He said yes, and AA rebooked us through Miami. 

Problem, we couldn't get our bags out of the cargo hold.  "No, we'd have to pull every bag and unload the plane to find yours."  But we were told the gate agent could make the final call on that.  So ewe grabbed our stuff and bolted off the plane.  We were the first people at the gate desk and explained the situation.  Initially Meg at the desk said no, that we had to travel on the same flights as our bags due to international immigration rules.  But she saw that we were rebooked through a different route, so she called baggage operations to pull the luggage.  After all, our new plane, and the old one weren't leaving for a couple hours so there was time to pull them and get them on the new flight.  Helpful tip: both our bags are bright blue and easy to find in a sea of black.  They found mine.  They couldn't find Carrie's. Uh-oh.  Meg discovered that they put Carrie's bag on an earlier flight to Dallas.  We weren't going to Dallas and hence there was a chane that her bag may not get on the conneting flight to Buenos Aires because she wasn't going to be on the flight with it.  But we had to chance it.

A guy behind us in line also tried to rebook and heard that we were getting our bags pulled off the plane.  How is that possible??, he asked.  We said because of international immigration flight regulations it was an exception.  If we tried to pull this stunt for a domestic flight, we didn't stand a chance.  It took about a half hour to get rebooked and figure out the luggage situation.  By that time, another passenger on the plane to Buenos Aires had just stepped off and was trying to the same thing.  Except they couldn't find him a seat and the luggage guy was nowhere to be found.  We kept quiet about our fortune and headed to our next flight.

When we made it to Miami we called again to check on Carrie's bag.  We heard it had been scanned to be on the DFW-EZE flight and should be arriving in BA 2 hours before we would.  We could only cross our fingers at this point, and also hope that my bag was following us.  We finally took off for BA and settled in for an uneventful flight, which fortunately was 2.5 hours shorter than the departure from DFW. We slept gently.  

Going through Passport Control I crossed my fingers.  My passport is almost full and I have just 2 blank pages left: pages I absolutely need to keep blank for the Mongolia stamps and Chinese visas this summer.  If Argentina chose to stamp on one of those pages, I'd be in a passport pickle.  So I paper clipped those two pages together so they wouldn't flip open to them, and the found some blank space on some already-stamped pages.  *phew*  So I just have to keep this in mind for my departure stamp and re-entry stamps into the US and I'm golden for Asia in a few months.

I found my bag quickly on the baggage carousel, but we still searched for the other.  The baggage desk agent wasn't helpful so we walked the entire baggage claim area a few times, stopping at carousels to check , looking around pillars, taking a sweep through Lost & Found.  Finally, her bag was discovered on a still-moving and crowded carousel, where at grabbed it and embraced with the enthusiasm of a long-lost relative. Success!

We found the taxi stand, gave directions and address, and hopped in.  Mistake #1: we were so exhausted that we never looked at the meter.  I asked about the fare.  It sounded high (but after research later, it was fine).  When we pulled up to the hotel, we tried to pay the fare, had some mix-up in the amount, and finally found the bills to give him the correct fare.  Except sitting at lunch later, we were doing the math, and something wasn't right.  I withdrew $700 pesos.  I had $100 left.  The fare was $600 pesos.  And Carrie had only $300 pesos left.  And three $2 peso bills.  Um, where did those $2 come from?? Suddenly I remembered an episode of Scam City on Nat Geo about taxi currency scams.  We strongly believe now that when we paid him and thought we gave him enough but didn't, he swapped out three $300 notes for the $2 ones that were bundled in half, that we gave him the wrong amount, so we handed over three more $100 bills.  Ah.  Dammit.  They got us.  Okay, the conversion rate is high so we're out maybe $15 US each.  It could be worse.  So we researched another scam about counterfeit bills and now we know what to look for.  And to get small bills because $100 and $50 notes are the most commonly scammed.  And we'll try to use our cards more often.

Lesson learned (this is the first time I've been a traveler scam victim) but it could have been worse.  In the end it wasn't a lot of money, it opened our eyes, we arrived safely, and have all our luggage.

This evening we have dinner reservations at a paralla, an Argentine steakhouse.  This country is famed for its beef, and it's said that this country is the worst place in the world to be a vegetarian.  Yay! We enjoyed a very pleasant lunch in the sunshine at an Italian sidewalk cafe in the Palermo neighborhood.  Relaxing under tree-lined streets.  Tomorrow starts the big day of sightseeing, wine tasting, and tango. I'm sure we'll sleep well tonight.

Chasing Ghengis Khan: Mongolia and Beijng

One theme that is common throughout most of my travels is ancient hisotry and archaeology.  I can't pinpoint what the allure is, but I as a kid who dreamed of seeing the world, Marco Polo had fascinated me.  Namely his encounters with the Mongols.  A very proud, strong horse-driven culture that conquered most of Asia.  Their relentless pursuit of territorial domination had led the Chinese build the Great Wall.  And this is where our journey begins, on either side of the Wall.

I've spent over a year researching assorted tour companies that operate groups our of Ulanbaatar, Mongolia's capital.  Spend a week in Mongolia treking, a day of horseback riding in this traditional horse-dependent nomadic land (if you don't like horses, you can hike that part), treking to a waterfall, visiting the ancient Mongol capital of Kharakorum, visiting with nomads and experiencing their daily life, and spending some evenings in traditional Mongolian gers, along with some sightseeing in the capital.  We could opt to spend a couple extra days in Ulanbaatar after the tour, and nearby in the national park riding horses, exploring the hills, streams, and wildlife. This weeklong tour in Mongolia includes hotels, get lodging, transfers, meals, transportation, and admission. 

Then we return to Beijing to unwind. Visit the Great Wall, Forbidden City, shopping, eating, and exploring for a few more days.  Or you could head back to the US sooner if you like.  In all, I figure this will be about 14-16 days away.  Costs in Beijing are on our own. I figure with the Mongolia tour group, airfare, insurance, visas, and lodging in Beijing may be about $3500/pp.  I'm flying there on frequent flyer miles (70k-92k-110k r/t depending on class) so if you can swing that, it'll knock about $1500 off for the plane ticket.

For the Mongolian tour, if we have at least 3 people on board, we could either join a scheduled group, or have our own private group.  With 8 people, the tour price drops.  This is the group and tour under consideration, affordable, a good length (but not too long), and a good selection of Mongolian sites:

http://english.horseback-mongolia.com/our-journey-through-mongolia/discovery-journey-in-mongolia/green-breath-of-fresh-air

Timing is about August 2014.  I can't get away from work before then, but it's still nice weather in Mongolia.  If we had enough people for a private tour we could go in September, but keep in mind it can get really cold in Mongolia at night during that month.

Breakdown:

Chicago to Beijing r/t: ~$1500

Beijing to Ulanbaatar r/t: ~$550

Mongolia tour: $990 general group (3-7 ppl private: $1100, 8+ ppl private: $950

Chinese visa: $140 (no Mongolian visa needed)

Trip insurance: ~$100 (strongly advised)

Beijing lodging: TBD - I like to stay in little B&Bs like a traditional Chinese hutong, so looking to keep costs low here.

Beijing sightseeing: TBD for Great Wall and Forbidden City

I have airfare alerts set up for Beijing, so hopefully some fares will drop.

Nearly 3 years ago Carrie and I spent 16 days in South America for $2000 each, inclusive.  It was absolutely an amazing experience. Once again I want to have another adventure, and would love to have company!

Since I will be flying on FF miles, I need to fly when the free seats are available, so I will be booking my ticket just after the new year.  You can fly with me, or we can meet up in Beijing if you findf fares on better dates.  Let's keep talking...

How to Get Additional Legroom in Economy for Free

Economy Plus, Main Cabin Extra, Economy Comfort, each airline calls it something different, but for all intents and purposes, it's Economy/Coach, with a little extra legroom.  These are usually the first few rows of the coach cabin.  The quickest way to secure these seats is to book your economy ticket, and while selecting a seat, an additional fee is added if you want one of these rows.

I try not to pay extra for these seats and will pick a center seat if it means I don't have to pay extra.  But a few times I have been able to be placed in these extra legroom rows without paying extra for them.  A few factors have to perfectly fall into place, but if you keep your eyes open between booking and wheels up, you, too, can find a little extra space for no cost.

When booking your ticket, the only available seats may be in these rows that cost extra.  If that's the case, do not select a seat at booking!  Proceed with an "unassigned" seat and purchase your ticket.  When you check in for your flight, if doing it online, sometimes the system will ask if you want to select a seat.  Look at the seating chart again.  If the only available seats are in this "extra" section and the system is still noting that they'll charge for them, then forego the seat selection.  Just check in and the airline will assign you a seat.  Chances are it'll assign you to the only open seats left: those in the extra legroom section... and won't charge you.

However, if during check-in you notice that there are other available seats besides the extra legroom ones, seats that have no additional charge, then you'll likely be placed in the regular seat if you let the airline system select for you.  Just keep an eye on the inventory and you may just luck out.

Local Travel: A Day in Cook County Criminal Court, aka "26th & Cal."

My company gives everyone the opportunity to take one day off a year for "Experience Day.” Sky-dive, ride the entire El system, get a tattoo, go kayaking, fly a plane.  My first idea was to spend the day inside O'Hare's air traffic control tower.  I spent 2 months to try to find a way in by means of a few phone calls. Long story short, they called me back and said they were too busy of a tower to be able to accommodate a day of job shadowing. Fair enough, they are one of the busiest airports in the world. So Plan B was to spend the day at 26th and California. Home of the infamous Cook County Criminal Court and jail. I heard it was a very interesting place to go, quite an experience.  Sounded perfect for Experience Day.

I knew phones weren't allowed inside, so I left the iPhone and iPad at home, grabbed the work Blackberry and a notebook, hid the Blackberry under the front seat of the car, and stepped inside.  I had no idea what I was doing.  I wanted to take notes.  I have only been in court once, and that was a civil matter.  This was a different ball game.  I walked around a bit to get a lay of the first floor, observed the flow of people, read the signs on the doors, checked out the posted court schedules.  Finally I walked up to the woman at the information desk and asked her the "rules."  Did a sign "Court In Session" mean I couldn't go in? Where was I allowed to go? Where was everything?  She said that the courts are open to the public and I can walk in and out at any time.  The big courtrooms were on the 4th-7th floors, with the wooden benches.  The 2nd and 3rd floors were smaller courtrooms with the seating in back behind a glass partition with speakers.  There was a jury selection currently going on in court 500 that I might be able to check out, if the judge allowed the public in for those.  She said it might be interesting to watch, so that's where I started.  Behold, the courtroom door was locked, so I guess the judge wanted jury selection to be private. 

I walked across the hall to another court instead. Inside there were a few people in the audience, seated on the wooden benches, like church pews.  Some lawyers were up front, but I didn't see a judge.  Were they on lunch break? One man caught the attention of one of the lawyers and asked a question in Spanish. I realized that perhaps being bilingual when working with the Chicago public is a really good idea.  After a half hour of me observing and trying to determine who was who - state's attorney, public defender, clerk, etc - I skipped out to find more action.  I peeked into a few other courts but no judges.  On the 7th floor I found a room with a lot of people outside, obviously lawyers talking to their clients. I figured there may be some activity going on here, so I slipped inside and sat down.  There was a judge, the lawyers, clerks, and definitely something happening.  

Finally court was in session! In the audience, a man looked like he was accompanied by his mom.  A few other people were in the audience.  I figured out that the state's attorney (SA) was seated opposite the judge's bench, that the public defenders (PD) were to the left, the clerk beside the judge, stenographer down front.  Bailiff. But I couldn't figure out who the woman was in front of the judge, standing at a table with a cart full of files.  Came to figure out later that I think she was part of the SA's paperwork team.  The clerk called each case, and each time a dependent would meet their lawyer in front of the bench.  I noticed that every single dependent, when approaching the bench, kept his or her hands clasped behind their backs.  They weren't cuffed.  Was this protocol?  Were they supposed to do this?  Dunno.  Some defendants were seated in the audience.  Some defendants, in DOC uniforms, were escorted into the room by the sheriff.  

At one point the judge started yelling at a defendant, "Use the thing that's between your two ears!" I think he didn't report to someone, his parole officer perhaps, and was now in trouble for it because the judge yelled to him to "Go report!" then slammed the docket onto the bench.  Another case was called.  But there were suddenly more players in the room.  There was a different buzz of activity than earlier.  I looked around and I was alone.  I was the lone observer, this was the last case of the day.  T defender walked in and was seated at the PD's table, with the sheriff seated behind him.  A cop walks in from a side entrance and takes the witness stand.  Oooohhhh.... I get to watch a real trial!!  Yay!

He was sworn in ad the PD began interrogation of the witness.  Then the young assistant SA cross-examined. The the PD.  Then the SA. Objections were heard and over-ruled.  The SA started asking the same questions again but slightly twisted.  The judge got frustrated and told her that he can hear and that he listens and she doesn't need to waste the court's time repeating questions.  She was clearly shake up and stopped questioning. She sat with her older colleague who sounded like he was giving her advice. I realized that most of these lawyers were probably 7-10 years younger than I.  

In short, the charge was unlawful possession of a controlled substance.  The defense's argument was that it was a 4th Amendement case and asked for a dismissal.  As the lawyers were asking the young Officer R, the arresting officer, the witness, questions, I can see how a witness would get flustered, how a memory could be distorted by questioning under stress.  On May 26th at 951 N. Lawler the officer arrested the defendant for possession.  But the search and seizure argument was coming into place because the defense claimed that the officer didn't know nor could see exactly what the defendant had in his hand when he saw him, therefore why stop him and question him?  The cop suspected a drug deal was being conducted based on the history of the neighborhood and the suspect handling something in his hand in front of other men gathered around him, and the defendant then tried to throw away what was in his hand when the officer approached him.  He kicked it under the squad car but the cop was able to reach it (turns out, later lab tests would reveal it was herion).

The judge determined there was sufficient grounds for a search, and therefore the subsequent arrest (backing up the charge was the lab results). But I could see the case for the 4th amendment argument. The only testimony was that of the cop.  No other witnesses.  This was one man's word against another.  There were no other cops or people present at the time of the arrest.  No one else to confirm why the cop searched him. Is this a case of the ends justifying the means? The judge ruled there were sufficient grounds.

At this time, the PD was explaining the defendant's rights to him.  The SA then spoke to the PD, then the judge, and they all disappeared to the judge's chambers.  I asked another PD what was happening, and she explained that the State had made a plea offer and they were going offline to discuss it together, along with the defendant's background and history of the case.  When they returned to the courtroom a few minutes later, the defendant and PD took their places in front of the bench, while the SAs stood at the side counter. The State explained that due to the defendant having six prior felonies, they asked for 5 years prison. The defendant then pleaded guilty and the judge explained that by entering his plea, he waived the right to a trial by jury, or a bench trial, and he had 39 days to appeal (as I understood it).  The judge then sentenced him to 2 years with one year probation.

During one of the recesses, the PD was complaining how court costs were unconstitutional, and one of the SA file clerks said how she doesn't talk about those at work since its a sensitive topic.  After the sentencing, I caught up with the PD in the elevator and asked her what she meant about unconstitutional court costs, because I had overheard the judge tell the defendant what his additional fines and court costs were.  But how to the defendants ever pay them if they're locked away for years?

She explained that often the court costs are more of a debt that just go on record. Some defendants can pay them, and some cannot.  But what had her worked up was that the costs then fund the Public Defender's office, but some of those funds are also allocated to the State's Attorney office. Wait a  minute... So in essence, the criminals are funding the people who are prosecuting them.  I began thinking, is this a 5th amendment case as well?  Suspects have the right to remain silent and not incriminate themselves.  But by participating in the legal system and paying fees, is that working against them?  Is that a form of self-incrimination?

Later that evening this thought also struck me... It was that man's seventh felony.  He's back in prison for 2 years.  Six prior felonies and prison time didn't deter him.  So I wondered, here was a career criminal, and was he in this lifestyle because he had no other options?  Not a legit job prospect with that history.  With no money comes no means to support oneself legally.  Perhaps prison was more like a guaranteed home for him, where he could get 3 hots and a cot every night without living on the streets.  Illegal activity was a way to support himself.  Granted, that is public money that's going to support his lifestyle, but is it the lesser of another evil, of having him on the streets dealing drugs, propping up the gangs, fueling the cartels?  What is our end goal, to keep violence and drugs off the street?  Then in this case, jail and our tax dollars is the better deal.  The only other option is a program to give the man a means of legal support, perhaps expunging his record, or finding in meaningful employment. Teach a man to fish... But our system isn't set up that way.  From streets to jail without any chance for reform before jail.  Because as I'm seeing this, either way, the public will fund these criminals. If we accept the inevitable, then perhaps the real question we should me asking ourselves is, "What is the best use of public money, the best sustaining, with the best outcome?"

Fly for Free! Airline Vouchers: Earning, Processing, and Redeeming

Fly to Mexico City for $35?  To the East Coast from Chicago for nothing?  And accumulate frequent flyer miles at the same time?  It's possible.  And if you allow flexibility in your travel schedule, you, too, can fly for free - or discount - on airfare vouchers.  I'm writing about vouchers on American Airlines, so if you have experience with vouchers on other airlines, I'd love your feedback and will incorporate it here (with proper credit).  But first, a quick background, then some tips about how to utilize these vouchers.  And what are they?

A voucher is a "coupon" of sorts from an airline with a pre-printed value on it in your name only.  It allows you to redeem the voucher for the face value and applied toward a future fare.  If you receive a $300 voucher, then later redeem it against a $350 fare, then you only pay $50 for your ticket.  You pay the difference.  I have yet to experiment with cashing in a voucher that is more than the published fare.  If you have experienced this, let me know.  When I have encountered a fare that's lower than my voucher, I select add-ons to raise the fare, such as Choice Select (Group 1 boarding, 50% miles bonus, premium drink, same-day no-charge flight changes, etc).

If you unfortunately get involuntarily bumped from a flight, chances are you will receive a voucher.  But airlines desperately try to coax volunteers to give up their seats first before bumping anyone from a flight.  In some instances, I've heard the offer for vouchers go as high as $600.  So these days I tend to build time into my schedules so if a bump opportunity arises, I can take it and claim the voucher and get to my destination a little later.

Earlier this year I was en route to Rio de Janeiro with a connection at JFK.  The layover was 5 hours so I was planning on having dinner with my parents who live near the airport.  The flight from ORD to JFK was over-booked so they asked for volunteers to give up their seats.  I knew this meant a voucher was in order, but I passed on the chance since I had dinner plans in NY.  Then I was paged by the gate agent.  Since I was 1) traveling alone, 2) had no checked baggage, and 3) my final destination was Rio, not New York, they asked me to connect in MIA or DFW instead.  I understood their position, but I said that I was looking forward to dinner with my parents.  After the agent explained why I was chosen to re-route, I did feel sympathetic, and besides, they have tough jobs, I wasn't going to pick a battle and put up a stink.  The agent  rebooked me to DFW, and as a thank you, she still gave me a $300 voucher.  Being nice and patient and cooperative can work in your favor sometimes!  I didn't expect the voucher, although I did try for an upgrade.

One month later I was in Vegas for work.  On the way back to Chicago, I stopped at the gate desk to inquire if the flight was full, meaning I wanted to try for an upgrade into 1st class.  The agent said yes, it was full, and would I like to volunteer to give up my seat?  He hadn't even announced it to the passengers yet, but he said he needed more space.  There was another flight back to Chicago 3 hours later, so I agreed.  It turned out that he only needed 1 seat, so after they boarded the flight, he rebooked me, and gave me a $300 voucher and a meal ticket.  I bid my co-workers farewell and that I'd see them the next day at the office, as they were all on the earlier flight.

Now in my hands I had two $300 vouchers!  When I saw Mexico City airfare drop to $379 (usually around $600), I went to aa.com to hold my flight.  Then I called the booking phone number on my voucher to book my ticket.  I gave them the record locator number and they booked my ticket.  My next voucher I used to visit family over the July 4th weekend.

Note that the below process applies to PAPER vouchers.  I have not yet received an e-voucher so I can't speak to how those are redeemed or if the process is different.  Let me know if you have.

1. Go online to find your fare, and put your ticket on 24 hour HOLD
2. Book at least 3 weeks in advance to give the voucher time to process (see below)
3. Call airline to book the fare and redeem the voucher
4. If there's a fare difference, have a credit card handy.  Your card will not be charged the difference until your voucher is processed and your ticket status changes.
5. AA will give you an address to which you have to mail in the voucher.  Make a copy of your voucher before mailing it!  If it gets lost, call AA and have the copy handy.
6. Your ticket online will be listed as TICKET PENDING until the voucher is fully processed (or UNKNOWN if viewing from a mobile device).
7. AA can take up to 2 weeks to process the voucher.  They process them in order of departure date.  So people sending in vouchers with departures sooner than yours will get processed first.  My first voucher took 2 weeks to process, my second voucher took 3 weeks because my departure date was more than a month away.
8. Once your voucher is processed, AA will email you your confirmed e-ticket, and your ticket status will change from TICKET PENDING to TICKETED and your credit card will be charged for any fare difference.  One voucher I used, the fare dropped, and my card ended up being charged less than what I expected.
9. And yes, you still earn frequent flyer miles that apply to elite status!

American Airlines Voucher Redemption Address:

American Airlines

6570 Caroline Street

Suite B, Dept 109

Milton, FL  32570

Below your return address in upper-left corner:

YOUR NAME

FLIGHT #

DEPARTURE DATE

A Weekend in Mexico City

Mexico City has been on my radar for a number of years. It's a brief flight from Chicago, the fares can often drop to attractive prices, and the street food is supposed to be famous. I have kept an airfare alert for Mexico City for a few years.  On my trip to Rio a few months ago, I was bumped from a connecting flight and the agent was kind enough to give me a flight voucher for my trouble. As luck would have it, my airfare alert went off when the fare to Mexico City dropped to nearly the same price as my voucher, and during Memorial Day weekend, no less.  Fortunately I have some dear friends who patiently tolerate my travel bug, and Nette agreed to join me south of the border for the weekend.  I have Friday and Monday off from work, so a quick jaunt was in order.

For safety's sake, I wanted to find accommodations off the tourist path.  No hotels, nothing that might appear to make us a target, be followed, or be taken advantage of as vacationers.  And I've learned the joys of staying at local B&Bs where we can get personalized service and advice from the staff.  There were a few options in the neighborhood of Condessa.  We came to find out that this is known as the restaurant district, and it certainly wasn't short of options of all international sorts.

Friday was an extremely early flight but it got us into Mexico City by lunchtime, when we dropped our luggage off and wandered out for a bite. We didn't drift far since we were just starting to get to know the area.  A quick post-lunch nap and we headed out again for dinner. We found a place called Bacán which served Mediterranean fare.  It reminded me of a French bistro, with tables outside, dark awnings, and serious yet friendly servers.  The weather was warm and we sat outside at a sidewalk table and ordered wine and some light snacks and soup.  A perfect topping to a long day.  The crowd as attractive and quite international.  

Who knows what we did to deserve the way we felt the next morning, as we commented we may as well be senior citizens since we were dragging the next day and felt a little sore.  Maybe the result of dragging luggage around  and the early hour we woke up.  At any rate, our plan for the day was to visit  Chapultepec Park in the center of the city.  At breakfast met a couple from Tucson who said they were taking the subway there.  It was such a nice day that we decided to walk the mile and a half. So many of the streets we wandered down had wide pedestrian medians in the middle, lined with palm trees and other greenery and occasional flowers.  We took a small detour through Parque Mexico in the center of Condessa with a lovely fountain.  Every few blocks were bicycle rental stalls.  Apparently with Mexico City's notorious pollution, they recently started taking steps to improve the air quality, which includes the bike initiatives and low-emission bus service.

Chapultepec Park was a beauty.  Wide avenues for running, biking, and walking.  Fountains, botanic gardens, a lake for paddle-boating, a castle, and more museums than you can shake a stick at.  The day was sunny, the park air was cool and clean, and lots of families were out for a stroll and enjoying the amusements, food, and vendors that lined the park avenues.  We made a pit stop under some trees for some deliciously simple tacos then made our way to the biggest attraction on the list, the National Museum of Anthropology.

I have heard that this is one of the great museums of the world, and possibly the only reason to visit Mexico City if you don't do anything else.  I wanted to find out what the hype was, and for a mere $4 entry fee we were on our way.  It did not disappoint.  Not only the contents of the museum, but the architectural design of the building was stunning. It was a museum in its own right, a tribute to modern, yet understated design.  For any architecture buffs, this is not to be missed.  I have never seen a finer museum.  Granted, the Louvre is spectacular on so many different levels, but it's a palace of a different sort.  The museum had a massive inner courtyard that was open to the elements and partially covered by a roof suspended by only a single column.  Galleries opened to the courtyard, as well as opened on the back side to more gardens with winding paths to explore transplanted Mayan temples that were relocated to the museum grounds.  Mexico should be proud of the collection, to have the majority of their rich history displayed with the respect it deserves.  I was in awe throughout the visit.

On our way out we walked back east down the Paseo de la Reforma, which is known as the Champs d'Elysees of Mexico.  It wound through the park, a wide boulevard with large statues in the medians.  At one section we found ourselves in the middle of an international food festival.  I was itching to stop at nearly every booth, but the crowds were thick for the weekend and we though we would be heading back this way the next day to explore the Reforma on Sunday when they close it to traffic.  So we ducked into a side street when Nette spied an Italian restaurant.  A small, imitate place, it looked ideal to escape the crowds.  We sat on the upper floor next to a window and looked out over the Reforma.  She ordered spaghetti with red sauce and I a carbonara that knocked my socks off (I'm a sucker for carbonara so I may be easy to please with this dish).  We joked that when we woke up that morning we were senior citizens and maybe we should hit the early bird special at 4pm for dinner.  Sure enough, it was 4pm when we sat down for our late lunch.  

Our walk back took us through Zona Rosa, and it drizzled a bit, but we still enjoyed the warm temperature.  Back at the B&B we loaded a movie on the iPad and relaxed.  A few hours later we decided we were too tired to venture out for dinner and it was still raining, so we ordered Domino's.  A tasty 4-cheese pizza and a couple sodas hit the spot as we hunkered down for the next day.  Did you know that pizza in Mexico comes with a side of ketchup and picante sauce?

The plan for Sunday was to visit the historic center, do some shopping, and walk down the Reforma.  Since the historic center was much further away than the park, we decided to navigate the subway instead of waste our energy on walking... We'd be doing a lot more of that later.  And how could we resiste the subway?  It was only 3 pesos, or about $0.25!  We asked around a bit first to see how safe it was, and the vote was 3-1.  Subway it is.  It was pretty clean, trains came very quickly, and since we carried a subway map, we found our way around very easily.  

We started out in the zócalo, which is the third largest public plaza in the world behind Tienamen and Red Square.  It was bordered by the Palacio Nacional and a massive baroque church. The palace was free to enter, but somehow we just didn't have the bug to go in.  Maybe on my next trip.  I hear it had some phenomenal Diego Rivera murals inside.  As we took in the main square, we detoured down a side street that turns out was an entirely pedestrian way full of shops on each side.  We popped in and out of various jewelry stores.  I had heard that silver was very inexpensive here, but I just didn't find anything I liked.  Then we spotted Zara.  Now, we have a Zara in Chicago.  But almost the moment I walked in, I had at least a dozen garments in my arms.  I was pulling things off the racks left and right. The selection was so much better than in Chicago, and the prices were nearly half the price.  I believe we spent nearly an hour in there trying things on.  I left with a dress, pants, shirt, and a fantastic necklace that could double as a weapon.  Nette secured a fabulous trench coat.  For as much as we purchased, it was a fraction of what we would have spent back home.  Score.  

The shopping left us hungry, and we realized we were near El Cardenal. Now let me back up here.  My cab driver in Chicago had recommended this restaurant.  When we arrived at the B&B, the guy there also mentioned it.  I also spotted it in my guidebook, and saw it listed as the #1 restaurant in Mexico City on TripAdvisor.  This had to be a sign.  When we were out shopping, we spotted the awning.  So after Zara, we put our names down for a 15 minute wait (not bad) and were seated right on time.  The building and staff reminded me of a classic French bistro, once again.  We were seated on the second level, our napkins placed in our laps, our bags hung up (on these small stands that every restaurant seems to have table side), and were offered hand sanitizer.  We were presented with a lovely selection of breads, as well as a green salsa with avocado slices, queso fresco, and warm corn tortillas.  Followed up by a delicious lunch of pollo con mole negro, it was very satisfying and recommended.

We continued shopping along the pedestrian avenue when drizzle set in.  Nette took advantage of the opportunistic entrepreneurs selling umbrellas and we made our way back toward the B&B. I did want to stop at a shop called Desigual and also an artisan market, but with the rain and a chill setting into the air, a nap sounded far better.  Besides, we had just about exhausted ourselves with shopping. We took the subway back and I made some mental notes along the way.  When an elderly gentleman stepped on to the train, Nette got up to give him her seat.  A younger man stood up, motioned for Nette to sit back down, then gave his seat to the old man.  I often don't see that on public transit in Chicago.  We also noticed a few people on the train with large backpacks with speakers in them. They would play music from an attached CD player and selling the music for a few pesos.  The city was full of such entrepreneurs selling anything from trinkets to gum.  It is a bit annoying to be sitting at a sidewalk cafe having lunch and someone approaches you to try to sell you something, but a simple "no gracias" seems to do the trick.

Upon arrival in Mexico City days earlier, we learned that Sunday night would be the final game of the Mexican national soccer league, and the two teams facing each other were both from the city.  People were out in droves on Sunday wearing their favorite team jersey in anticatipation of the game.  So after camping out a bit in our room, we dolled up a bit and headed up to a local pub for some drinks and to watch the game with the locals.  We were rooting for the team with the sponsor Corona on their jerseys.  The bartender Oscar was kind enough to enlighten us on the finer points of how the game was played, and just exactly how much time was remaining.  Afterward we walked home in a light drizzle in the warm evening air.  

I feel as though this was a good primer for Mexico City.  There is so much more I want to see and do there, such as visiting the ancient city of Tenochtitlan, cruising the canals of Xochimilco, see Diego Rivera's murals in the Palacio Nacional, visit the Frida Khalo museum, walk down the Reforma in a Sunday afternoon, and seriously shop for silver jewelry.  There was no way we would have time to accomplish all that in a single weekend, so this warrants another visit.  I was also pleased that my Spanish has really developed since the last visit south of the border.  I can't say I'm fluent yet, but definitely conversational and learned a handful of new words over the weekend.  I want to continue traveling south so my language skills can improve.  Immersion is key.

I was pleased. Mexico City is a vibrant, cosmopolitan international city.  It was well worth the visit to break down any stereotypes or impressions, to bring back stories that this is a spectacular city to visit, so much more beautiful and rich than I had ever imagined.