As much as I rave about Uruguay, it does have its downsides, such as the lack of imaginative food. You’re most likely to encounter pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, the chivito (their version of a burger), and maybe a parrilla or two. Even locals will say that the food here is not very creative or progressive. Uruguay is very much a meat-and-potatoes kind of culture. And what’s even worse is that eating out in Montevideo costs a pretty penny. If I thought food in Buenos…
An Introduction to Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo
There are some cities that just feel like home right away. Montevideo is that city for me. I never thought I’d love Montevideo so much. I mean, I’ve never even heard of this little capital city until a few months ago. We only picked this place because we were visiting Buenos Aires and needed somewhere else to go for a month. Enter Montevideo – an easy boat ride across the river from BA. We’re honestly the laziest travelers I know, so easy wins…
All about ordering steak in Buenos Aires!
“What’s a bife de chorizo?” We ask our semi-English-speaking waiter. “Ummm… it’s hard to explain,” he stumbles. “Chorizo is a sausage.” “Oh ok, so it’s a beef sausage.” We help him out. “No no no. But it’s not a sausage. It’s beef. It’s a very Argentinian thing.” At this point, we are utterly confused. Where I come from, chorizo is a spicy Mexican sausage. So in order to avoid getting something totally weird, we order something else instead. Sigh… As you can see,…
Free Things to do in Buenos Aires
I was surprised to find that the US dollar does not go very far in Buenos Aires (this is during travel in May 2014. And of course, that depends on which exchange rate you are able to get, but I’ll cover that later separately). But the city does offer plenty of free things to do (or very cheap, at least). Here are some of the best free things to do in Buenos Aires, kind of in order of awesomeness, but…
How much does it cost to live in Santiago, Chile?
Note: This post is not my best writing. But it is informational and straightforward. Enjoy. D and I recently spent the entire month of April in Santiago, Chile (sigh..seems like so long ago already, and we really miss it). We chose to stay for a month mainly because the living costs were much more affordable for a longer stay (I’ll explain more below), and also to have a more in depth experience of the culture. I know you guys are all…
Guide to Santiago Centro: the heart of Chile
During our month in Santiago, we stayed in a little airBnB rental that was only a couple of blocks from Plaza de Armas, which is smack in the heart of Santiago Centro. For the most part, we’ve really enjoyed staying here and I think it’s a wonderful location (I will talk about some cons later). In fact, I’d even say that we got pretty lazy being here, because everything we need is within a short walking distance, including many ice cream parlors and…
The Ultimate Guide to Koreatown – the Coolest Neighborhood in Los Angeles
After almost a decade of living in/around Los Angeles, I still haven’t made up my mind on whether I love or hate the city. However, I have come to the conclusion that Koreatown just may be the coolest place in LA. If you are looking for a night out in downtown Los Angeles… let’s say the kind of night where you eat good food, channel your inner rockstar, and maybe even chat up a cute girl (or guy)… and if…
Packing Tips: Mix & Match for Light Travel and Style
I’m gonna assume I’m not generalizing when I say that it is very difficult for girls to cut down in clothing. In order to whittle down the amount of things I’m putting in storage, I had to also seriously re-assess my (overflowing) closet. I admit I did have a hard time donating/selling most of my clothes. And I’m having an even harder time coming to grips with the fact that some of my most beloved clothing items (like that shimmery…
10 Things to do in Downtown Los Angeles (on a walking tour)
Sometimes on a weekend when D and I find ourselves without any plans, we ride the train up to downtown Los Angeles. We mainly go to eat at one little Mexican stand called Rodolfo’s. Rodolpho’s is situated smack in the middle of the bustling and ever so colorful Olvera Street, a charming little brick-lined alley inducing visions of old Mexico. It also has an interesting history of being the oldest part of downtown Los Angeles. Olvera Street is conveniently located…
Welcome to Slightly Astray!
Oh hi there! You’re on the right page…it’s still me, formerly known as the lost girl diaries. Yep, I’ve changed my name. Because frankly, my other name sucked. Actually it didn’t. I loved it (and I still do). But apparently, so did a lot of other people. I originally chose the name because not only does it play upon the travel theme of being away from home, it described what I was going through at the time. D’s travel plans,…