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it’s all about the canal!

finally, a blog post!

If you were playing word association and the first word was Panama, the next invariably would be Canal.  The Panama Canal is an engineering marvel.  Panama is probably the most famous isthmus in the world.  It was discovered in 1513 by Balboa.  That began the canal debate.  As we’ve talked about in the Chile posts, ships had to make a long, expensive and dangerous tour down the Americas, past Cape Horn and back up the other side before the Panama Canal.  Eliminating all that extra time by crossing between the Atlantic and Pacific through Central America was obviously a great commercial idea.

checking out the canal

The challenge of course is that Panama is largely rainforest.  The French started the project in 1880, encouraged by the success of the Suez Canal.  Count Ferdinand de Lesseps, the builder of the Suez Canal, started a sea-level canal.  Panama was not Egypt.  Rather than desert, it was largely rainforest and the rain caused landslides and yellow fever and malaria killed thousands of workers.  In 1888, the French gave up.

That’s when Teddy Roosevelt got involved.  Until you come to Panama, you will likely not appreciate that it is very close to Colombia and was a Colombian territory until 1903.  The US had purchased the assets in the canal zone from the French in 1902 for $40 million.  Thus began a bizarre colonial relationship and lots of American meddling in Central America.  Colombia wasn’t happy to have the USA building things in its territory so the US decided to support a Panamanian independence movement and Panama became an independent country in 1903.

This gave the US tremendous control over Panama and the Panama Canal.

miraflores locks

The initial start was not promising as the Americans had not learned from the French mistakes.  In 1905 a railroad specialist named John Stevens was appointed as chief engineer and he incorporated new technology and convinced Roosevelt that a lock canal was better suited to the terrain.  He was certainly instrumental to the success of the Panama Canal but his chief sanitary officer Dr. William Gorgas also contributed tremendously.  He thought mosquitoes were carrying the yellow fever and malaria that was plaguing the workers so he went on a mission to fumigate homes and clean up bodies of water.  He wiped out yellow fever in 1905 and greatly reduced malaria.  Stevens quit in 1906 and was replaced by Lt. Col. George Washington Goethals.  It took until 1914 to finish the canal and the American Society of Civil Engineers considers it one of the seven wonders of the modern world.

There are three locks along the canal route, which lift ships from sea level to 85 feet above where they transit through man-made Gatun Lake.  It officially opened on August 15, 1914 but the grand opening ceremony had to be downgraded due to the start of World War I.  The Panama Canal and politics have always been bedfellows.  The original deal the Americans cut was that they would control the canal forever but Jimmy Carter signed a treaty in 1977 that would transfer control of the canal to the local Panama Canal Authority by December 31, 1999.

getting close to ships

Even more interestingly, Nicaragua was the Americans’ first choice for the canal but a very effective propaganda campaign about the danger of volcanoes in Nicaragua shifted the plan to Panama.  Apparently there is now some Chinese billionaire looking to give Nicaragua its own canal.

So, you can thank Teddy for getting it built and Jimmy for allowing the new Panama to emerge.  Not only did Panama take control of the canal, they expanded it to allow today’s modern supertankers to pass through the canal.  The expanded Panama Canal was opened on June 26, 2016.

You can learn all of this – and more – when you visit.  It can be tricky to actually see a ship passing through the canal on a random visit but it is impressive no matter when you arrive.  There are great exhibits and video describing both the history and the function of the canal.

For me, it was a multifaceted experience.  I probably should have been an engineer so certainly appreciated that aspect of the canal.  Also love history and Panama’s history is fascinating.  Finally, I spent several years working for a client in the shipping industry so seeing real ships in the Panama Canal had an extra resonance for me.  The names on the shipping containers were like the names of family members.

 

 

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travel stories

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the african country you’ve never heard of…

Unless, like me, you are fans of David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike and have seen A United Kingdom.  I meant to see it in a theatre but didn’t get there so was very excited when it was advertised and made special effort to watch it on television.

<We will get back to Panama but first a detour…>

It’s an inspiring story about tackling racism, establishing democracy, the evils of both apartheid and British colonial rule AND it’s a love story that will make you feel bad about your own life  because they are so cool 😉

When I was very young, I had penpals in Ghana so I knew a bit about Africa for most of my life.  In my twenties, one of my boyfriend’s best friends was really into Africa and humanitarian work so that really fed my interest.  Another friend had this dream of going on safari in Africa.  I thought that sounded like a great idea so I have now been twice and I think he has not actually set foot on the continent.

So I suppose you could say I am an Africaphile 🙂  When I married, I confessed to my husband my obsession with going on safari in Africa.  He confessed it was a shared obsession but he would only do a luxus tour (he’s German).  A luxus African safari sounded amazing so I started the research.

Lots of people go to Kenya or South Africa.  They have done the best marketing themselves… but I am supremely analytical so every decision is vetted through a rigorous process.  That is how I chose Botswana as our first safari destination.  (If you are choosing, I am also a huge fan of Tanzania).

getting too close to the hippos

I picked Botswana because it was a good place to see wildlife but I always like to understand the places I am hanging out so knew a little before I arrived and then kept asking questions.  It wasn’t all perfect.  At least then (over a decade ago) there were problems with AIDS and moronic old-fashioned ideas that prevented an easy solution BUT it was an African country that made you believe in the future.

They had never been a colony (instead a protectorate, which you will learn about in the film) and had discovered diamonds as an independent country.  They had embraced high end tourism and roads were not paved on purpose so that tour buses full of tourists couldn’t glide through the savannah.

It’s a magical place.  We stayed in three different regions – the first safari by water on the Chobe River, then elephants all the time at Savute Elephant Camp and finally the phenomenal Okavango Delta where I discovered CCAfrica (hello Tanzania!).

the view from my room

I cannot give proper coverage to Botswana in one post but this is just to get people thinking about it.  While I was travelling around Africa the first time people said, “Africa will get into your blood.  You will need to come back.”  Even then I knew they were right.  There are places that imprint themselves on your soul.  There is so little wilderness left on our planet.  I come from the western country closest to Africa and I grew up in wilderness.  My grandmother was eating berries in the same patch as a bear…

Maybe it’s because I had part of my eyebrows singed on a May long weekend as a teenager fighting a forest fire and hoping we were NOT between the mommy and baby moose we had just seen close up that I feel so at home in the African bush.  It feeds my soul and engages all my senses.  As the African king tells the English insurance clerk, “the stars in my country take your breath away.”  I’m not even sure that is the correct dialogue, just my memory of my own experience.

my first trip in a mokoro

A United Kingdom makes me want to go back to Botswana.  These are supposed to be “once in a lifetime experiences” but they can be a bit addictive.  Africa can be addictive.

Apparently I can thank Seretse Khama (and Ruth Williams) for that.  I knew Botswana was special.  It was Africa at its best.  Such an amazing introduction. What I didn’t appreciate at the time was the backstory and how important Seretse was to the prosperity of modern day Botswana.  He was certainly born with a lot of advantages most of us will never know but it seems to be a story of public service and leadership.

There is no question Botswana will blow your mind – potentially in several ways.  You will need to save your pennies to see it properly but it will reward the effort.  Every time people look at me blankly when I mention Botswana, I just say, “it’s because it’s an African country that WORKS.  That’s why it’s never in the news and you’ve never heard of it.  A perfect place for a safari?  Obviously!”

A good place to start is to contact andbeyond or wilderness safaris.

Apparently, we can thank Seretse.  I wish I had known more about him when I visited but back then, if google was a search engine, it was not THE search engine…  I used dogpile! Why I should probably do a follow up trip 😉

 

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shining examples, travel stories

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not teddy roosevelt’s panama

Casco Viejo has a long history.  It was first built in 1673 when pirates destroyed the first settlement, Panama Viejo.  It was declared a World Heritage site in 1997.  Panama City was founded in 1519 and taken down by the notorious pirate Henry Morgan.  The new city was on a peninsula surrounded by the sea and defensive walls.  Panama Viejo is the oldest European settlement on the Pacific coast of the Americas.  It is a mix of French, Spanish and American architecture and ancient city planning.

Like so many cities, wealthy people starting moving to the suburbs in the mid 20th century and it became a neglected neighborhood eventually rife with rival gangs.  It’s not a place for a naïve tourist but it’s easy to navigate and hotels will supply you with a map that tells you where NOT to wander.  I spent almost a week there and was perfectly safe.

casco upgrade

If you are an idealist like me, it is gratifying to be supporting positive social change.  The revitalization of Casco Viejo is a model in development.  From what I’ve read, you can thank a corporate lawyer.  HUH?  His name is K.C. Hardin and apparently he moved to Panama to surf and accidentally fell into real estate development.  The company is called Conservatorio and is redeveloping Casco Viejo using a business model that is a model in many other ways.

The American Trade Building is four stories high and was built in 1917 to profit from the new Panama Canal.  By the time that Conservatorio got involved, it had been abandoned and was headquarters for a gang.  It’s hard to imagine that now, which is to the credit of the sensitive restoration and Conservatorio’s inclusive attitude toward development.  Gang members have been turned into entrepreneurs!

The American Trade Hotel is definitely a great pick if you can afford the tariff.  I went for lower prices but did

it lured me in…

indulge in a night of jazz at Danilo’s Jazz Club and highly recommend it.  The American Trade Hotel has created a revolution (of the peaceful kind) in Casco Viejo.  Across the street is Casa Casco, which also has four stories.  It is definitely the new Panama and one of my favourite hangouts during the trip.  Each level provides a different experience and cuisine.  The rooftop is lovely but the food selection is a bit bizarre.  It advertises itself as tapas but the selection is more sandwiches and pizza.  One level does Japanese food so decided to go for sashimi.  Really wanted tuna AND salmon but bizarrely that was not an option so went for tuna.  I had to eat it in the dark and there was no rice but the tuna was outstanding, far better than my recent food in Japan…

I went again and tried the third floor, which was Mediterranean.  Had an Instagram-worthy creative modern lamb dish.

Tantalo Hotel was also a great place to hang out.  There is a bar and restaurant on the main level in addition to the rooftop.  My food on the rooftop just OK but

head to the roof

the downstairs restaurant packed so likely worth trying.  There is definitely a lively scene on the rooftop and it is an excellent place to hang out.

The hotel staff were very welcoming.  I got a free drink in the bar upon arrival and they booked my birthday dinner in a sister restaurant called Caliope, where you get a discount as a hotel guest, as well as getting me VIP access to Teatro Amador.  Not everyone speaks English so communication can be a bit challenging but it was a wonderful day.  Got to spend my birthday evening in the VIP section at the Tantalo Rooftop and even got a piece of cheesecake with a sparkler in it just after midnight, when my birthday actually began.  Jose was amazing and took me through the staff entrance so that I could put it in the fridge in my room to enjoy as breakfast on my birthday 🙂

You will need to beware of the touts preying on tourists.  They are Latin so very charming and convincing.  The places they steered me weren’t bad but you can likely do better.  Probably my best meal was at Aki Sake Bar and Japanese Kitchen.  A great cocktail and outstanding sushi rolls for an incredibly modest price.  Casa Sucre is very good but not cheap.  Do go for a drink at sunset on Plaza Bolivar – there are several options.  The atmosphere is the main component.  Do have at least one Balboa beer but, if beer is your thing, check out La Rana Dorado, especially during happy hour (the Hop on Hop Off bus happened to drop me off at just the right moment 🙂

If one of your guilty pleasures in life is all versions of ice cream, you will need some steely self-discipline to avoid spending your entire time in Panama at Granclement.  It was just as well I didn’t find it until the end of my visit. I love ice cream but this is the first time I went twice in the same day!  I did walk a lot between visits…

Casco Viejo is a capitalist Havana.  It’s a fascinating place full of history and promise.

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travel stories

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the importance of being open-minded…

There are some old stories I may still commit to paper but it’s time to get into 2017 on the blog 😉

I have gone through various phases in my feelings about Panama.  When I grew up, it was not considered a tourist destination.  Then I had a friend visit and it got on my radar.  Not long after, I transited through Panama City airport on my way to South America and the experience was horrible so I held it against Panama and it went to the bottom of the list.  Then I read an enthusiastic article about Casco Viejo and discovered my birthday coincided with a great time to visit and airfare would be very reasonable.

Now that I’ve been, I would recommend being magnanimous about the airport and airlines who fly there because it is worth checking out but I had one of the ugliest flights of my life getting there.  The theory was great.  I would overnight to Toronto arriving early morning and then depart in a couple of hours for Panama City, sleep on the plane and arrive midafternoon to start sightseeing.  It all began well enough.  I got to Toronto and indulged in a great breakfast in the terminal.  I had about an hour of sleep on the plane so would survive a little longer.

colonial splendour

It didn’t take long for everything to go horrendously wrong.  Our boarding time came but no one was boarding.  There was something wrong with our plane and we would have to find another one.  They suggested it would take a few hours.  Not great but not terrible yet.  The day wore on and information was sketchy.  I discovered the terminal was filled with few options for either food or entertainment so a place you only want to transit through.  Instead, I got to spend about 15 hours trapped there trying to stay awake so I wouldn’t miss a flight for which I didn’t even have a departure time anymore.  I was a first world refugee.

Finally a flight came onto the board and we all lined up again, actually getting on a plane this time.  The hotel in Panama City was excellent and changed my transfer from 2pm to 4am so I arrived exhausted and disorientated but didn’t have to find a taxi.  I decided to stay in Casco Viejo, which is essentially the old town, but Panama City is an old Colonial city so it was relocated centuries ago so there is a Panama Viejo as well.

Panama has a long, bizarre and colourful history.  Not only has it tangled with Spain, Colombia and the USA, pirates, conquistadors and dictators, it even has a unique place in geological history.  We’ll talk more about all of that but, for the casual tourist, what will matter is modern Panamanian history.  Thanks to Jimmy Carter, Panama got control of the canal on December 31, 1999 and in 2015 the expansion to accommodate modern supertankers was completed. This – along with a better electoral process – has brought a lot of change to the economy.

Like most developing countries, the spoils are not shared as equally as they might be, and it’s good to do some research and not wander randomly, but Casco Viejo is beguiling and I had a wonderful visit.  You will also be supporting social change and economic revitalization (more on that in future).

a place to call home

I had a leisurely stay so split my time between two choices to get a fuller experience.  I would highly recommend both.  The choice depends on your style.  First, I stayed at the Magnolia Inn, an actual restored turn of century mansion.  It’s a mix of hotel and hostel, Staff are very friendly and prices are great.  There is no elevator and you will need to search the neighborhood for entertainment but there are many options only minutes away.

my glamorous room

If you want to glam it up at a super reasonable price and you are a sound sleeper, stay at Tantalo Hotel and gaze at Panama City from the rooftop.  That’s where I spent my birthday, having one of the best hotel experiences of my life.

Stay tuned for more details of a tiny country with a lot to offer still under most people’s radar – exactly when you want to see it 😉

 

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solo adventures

I am not averse to travelling with companions but, once you reach a certain age, it can be tough to get people to commit due to their various entanglements with other people so I started travelling solo.  It was also a personal challenge since genetically I am painfully shy but have been training myself for so long now to be bolder and not let my natural personality curtail the opportunities life might present me that people laugh in my face when I suggest that I am an introvert, let alone painfully shy.  I’ve learned to just smile and wear it as a badge of honour.  On a good night, I can even “work a room” now, which still continues to amaze me.  I just feel grateful that I learned at a young age that it was NECESSARY to learn how to talk to strangers, even if it made me want to throw up from nerves when I first began the experiment.

gritty east london

exploring shoreditch

I would highly recommend getting comfortable with talking to strangers.  You will get plenty of opportunity if you stay at the Hoxton and hang out at the bar. It was a while ago so I can’t remember everyone I met but do remember it as a friendly place.  I had a couple of memorable encounters.  One night I met an Iranian immigrant on his way to Australia.  He was somewhat besotted with me despite an age difference that was ridiculous and he was dragged off by his friends to another venue.  I think part of the attraction may have been that I knew a bit about Iran and told him one of my best friends is married to a Persian.  I also have lived in Australia so bonding was easy.

More bizarre was my Sunday night adventure.  I didn’t expect much to be happening on Sunday night but, when you are a tourist travelling alone, your room is a bit boring so was sitting in the lobby area working on the blog when some locals spotted me.  It’s always nice to meet people from the actual ‘hood in which you are temporarily domiciled and these ladies were real EastEnders, born in the neighborhood before the more recent gentrification.

Apparently the Hoxton offers membership and discounts to locals to encourage them to hang out, especially on days when tourists may be sparse.  While you may not meet many people on Sunday night, it is also likely the people there will bond more easily.  With very little effort, my blog prep efforts were abandoned and I became part of an intriguing quasi safari observing human behaviour rather than animal 🙂

The women were old friends and very chatty.  At first, everything was pretty normal.  Where things got interesting was when it changed from chit chat about how the neighborhood had changed to being a participant in a cougar safari adventure.  I can’t remember now how the young guys got involved but they seemed happy to buy everyone drinks and flirt. One of the lads was handsome and exceptionally charming.  The other two women lapped up the attention.  It was like watching soap opera live.  After a while, the young men took off and I figured the entertainment was over but then one of the women also left.  The other lady was pretty drunk by then and very determined that I needed to stay with her.

I’ve had some interesting encounters with drunken strangers over the years 🙂  This one ended up the most bizarre of all.  An older businessman joined us in the bar.  He was staying in the hotel and they hit it off.  He seemed like a nice guy.  The very inebriated lady seemed determined to stay in my room, which would have been weird but, in the end, she decided she could stay in the gentleman’s room.  I had to walk with her there.  As soon as we arrived, the safari got a little too much like a nature documentary so I shielded my eyes as I backed out of the room as fast as possible!

If bizarre encounters with strangers aren’t your thing, there are other less adventurous things you can do in Shoreditch.  One of my favourite discoveries this trip was the Spitalfields Market.  Lots of choices at better prices than you normally find in London.

You can opt for a traditional English pub or go more locavore in a pretentious cocktail bar.  We tried to get into nightjar but you really need to make a reservation.  We did get into Happiness Forgets and the cocktails were excellent but it was uncomfortably hot.  Perhaps it’s a heritage building and you can’t install air conditioning…

You can also stay in Shoreditch and explore other parts of London.  As already noted, British cuisine has come a long way since I first encountered it.  What is funny is that London is the advance team in cultural affairs in almost all respects but, when it comes to food, it is tipping its hat to the Pacific Northwest.  I think it’s a combination of the hippie past, the affinity for nature and the lush local produce but the idea of getting creative with local ingredients has been part of the Pacific Northwest for a few decades.

Ironically the restaurant we went to in Fitzrovia is called Portland.  I don’t think the Brits realize they are eating Pacific Northwest style cuisine but it’s the formula I’ve known and loved most of my adult life – in season local produce identified by supplier, clever and creative combinations and great flavours.  I normally order European wine in Europe but they had a bottle of D2 from Washington state, which was delicious and seemed to match the menu 🙂

A more English experience, I also went to have a cocktail at the Connaught as it had been recommended by a London bartender.  It is an experience and certainly worth doing.  Just know that there will be no question you ARE in London when the bill comes so be ready for the sticker shock!  The most expensive drink of my life – now surpassing deciding to drink champagne (without first asking the price) at the legendary Victoria Falls Hotel while looking at the falls. Also worth it 🙂

While the British Empire might not have been a good idea, it does mean that London is

somerset house design biennale

incredible creativity and colour

agog in cultural treasures from all over the world.  In a 21st century acknowledgement that the world has changed, Somerset House initiated a biennale to celebrate global design and I just happened to be in London.  It was amazing and the next one isn’t until 2018 so there is plenty of time to plan for it.

My final stranger encounter this trip was one of my favourites.  I stayed in Earl’s Court when I got back from Riga as it’s on the tube line to Heathrow so made my exit faster.  Stayed at the Rockwell Hotel, a small hotel only a short walk from the station.  It’s very well priced for London.  It was Sunday night and nothing looked too interesting on the street so decided to have a mojito at the hotel bar and head to bed.  I wouldn’t recommend having a cocktail at the hotel as the bar is not really properly equipped to make them but it did lead to an interesting chat with my charming server.

posh west london

rockwell hotel ‘hood

She was from Vilnius!  I don’t think she gets too many customers who have just been there.  I expect many are not sure where Lithuania is so we had a lively chat about proper cocktails, life in London as a foreigner and the rise of the Baltics.  Yet more proof of the rewards of talking to strangers 😉

London is a multifaceted place and you can live all sorts of lives there from super posh to super gritty.  I like to mix it up and keep things fresh 😉

 

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calling all hipsters, wannabes and fans…

Or just people looking to check out new neighborhoods in London 😉  I grew up fairly poor by western standards in the 1980s.  That decade became associated with Donald Trump, jerks on Wall Street and conspicuous consumption – and there was some of that.  In many places, though, it was a decade of recession, runaway interest rates and social strife.  That was the decade I lived in.  It was a time when there were thrift stores instead of vintage boutiques and if your jeans had holes, it was because they were old and you couldn’t afford a new pair…

It was an interesting time and possibly one of the best decades in history in which to be young.  I was fortunate to meet and date a lot of people who had a phenomenal impact on my life (many still part of it) and, without them, I would likely not even be IN London, let alone so much like a local that I was searching for new neighborhoods to keep the experience fresh.

I began the decade about as far from cool as one could be but, by happy accident and forcing myself to acquire better social skills, I inched a little further in that direction during a summer spent in Calgary.  Calgary is hardly a major international center of chic but it was the biggest city I had ever lived in at the time and it was exciting.  Toronto was even more exciting.  My father was very well read so I knew about Bay Street but the idea that I was now WORKING on Bay Street.  OMG!  It was a childhood dream come true.

What was even better was that I had an amazing boyfriend who had grown up in the city and was a fan of indie rock back in the day when you whispered the names of bands like insider secrets.  I still remember the party where someone said, “you need to listen to The Smiths.  They are amazing”…

There was a lot of music to love in the 1980s but the most radical part that changed my life is that indie rock bands were poor so they played in scruffy venues rather than glossy stadiums.  Long before the word gentrification was even coined, I was hanging out in the neighborhoods that would fall prey to it.

It’s made the new century very interesting for me.  I will never be any part of the hipster universe but I hang out with them a lot because I love exploring cities and know that the east side (almost always…) is the more interesting place to be.  I like character and action, living in the real future rather than the fake past.

If you are coming to London for the first time, the best place to hang out is the West End if you can afford the tariff.  If you are looking for something cheaper but super comfortable, Earl’s Court is a popular option.  If you are OK with a little edge – or have a tiny budget – head east to the London of Jack the Ripper and the working class.

beautiful graffiti

At minimum, stop by for dinner.  That was my initial foray into Shoreditch.  London is very old place.  Shoreditch has been through several centuries of history and its star has risen and fallen.  These days it is definitely on the rise.  London is one of the great cities of the world.  I have lost count of the number of times I have visited but it is so vast in both geographic size and scope of things to see and do that there are still plenty of things I have not yet done.

The first time I set foot in the city of London was 28 years ago.  I got my first passport to visit my boyfriend who was travelling through Europe on an extended trip I couldn’t afford but I discovered the airfare to London wasn’t too bad so I could buy a backpack and make a short visit since we could sleep on the sofa at his Australian friends’ flat in Earl’s Court.  Back then, it was best to just stick to an English cooked breakfast and fish and chips.  Pretty much everything else was cooked to death and tasted a little like cardboard.

Luckily, I have found lots of reasons to continue to return to England’s capital so saw the rise of British cuisine first hand.  For a long time now, I have been fortunate to have at least one friend living in London and it makes me an especially privileged tourist.  We’ve been going to Shoreditch for dinner for a few years now so I decided it was time to see if I could STAY in Shoreditch and expand my knowledge of the city.

There are a few options.  I decided to stay at the Hoxton.  I would highly recommend it if you are comfortable with hipsters 😉  It’s very lively.  They have done a

hangin at the hoxton

good job of being part of the neighborhood while catering to tourists and it’s packed on the weekend.  I spent some time with my friends but was also at the hotel alone at points so could go into observation mode.

exploring the ‘hood

It was quite hilarious.  In my normal life, I don’t spend a lot of time with hipsters so had not appreciated how little individuality there was.  Practically everyone looked the same, especially the men.  For sure, curated facial hair, often a man-bun.  Expensive sneakers with little personality.  Untucked shirt, invariably white but possibly black.  Skinny jeans.  It was a little creepy, like looking at a version of youth programmed as Stepford Wives.

While the concept of individuality may have gotten a little lost, there was a lot to like once you indulged in conversation.  It’s a great bolthole from which to experience Shoreditch and environs.

We’ll continue the Shoreditch adventures… and eventually I will write more about London… but to get you started I am going to defer to TimeOut.   I can vouch for Lyle’s and Andina.  I have been using TimeOut guides for most of my adult life.  I can’t remember if I discovered it in London or in New York City.  Like so many things, it has gone from cool entrepreneurial quirk to ubiquitous corporate presence but it’s still one of the best resources for travellers who like the path less travelled…

 

 

 

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life philosophy, social commentary, travel stories

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bye bye USSR…

If you think of Eastern Europe as a drab Soviet era anti-paradise, you will be shocked.  Back when I visited Prague in the late 90s, you could still see communism in action but these days you are more likely to wonder if you are in a parallel universe where you could be in New York City, London, Sydney – or Vilnius!  In some ways I find it disturbing – the globalization of culture… but you have to be careful to check your western privilege.

There is definitely an unconscious bias for prosperous citizens of developed countries to want to find cute cultures that allow them to be nostalgic or surprised.  Culture is a very complex subject and I am definitely not a fan of the homogenized American propaganda marketing machine but I am a fan of development and prosperity.

In an ideal world, different cultures will adopt new technologies but in a way that makes them special and true to the region.  It’s a tough ask and one needs to be open minded.

Some of my greatest travel experiences have been in luxe safari lodges in Africa where the companies seem to be making responsible decisions about the environment, the wildlife and the local population, appreciating it’s an ecosystem and behaving honorably will create the best results for all involved.  The US seems to have gone bonkers and corrupted capitalism but it wasn’t always that way.  Some of the early American entrepreneurs actually cared about their employees and their communities.  There are pockets of a return to that vision that should be embraced by consumers.

I really hope that kind of capitalism can see a broad resurgence in the country that defines itself by that moniker but I have been more enthused by capitalism in developing economies.

I’m pretty good at research and seem to have a nose for finding cool things so, once I had seen the Old Town, I looked for 21st century Vilnius.  It’s the capital city so I really saw only a tiny acreage of its possibilities but you can wander just a few metres from the storybook Old Town and wonder if you have wandered into Brooklyn…

It will be cooler than Brooklyn, though, as there will still be cobblestone streets and old houses… but there will also be cocktails, tapas and live music.

extra entertainment

The great part is that if you have only one night, it can all happen on one street and environs.  You can eat there too but I found it a little hit and miss on the service front so you are likely better advised to follow my lead from my first night in Vilnius.  Zuvine in the Old Town showcases the seafood of the Baltics.  There is even a scientific chart!  I am a huge seafood fan and one of the really cool elements of that is that seafood is a regional thing so you can eat it all over the world but you should try the local delicacies rather than sticking to stuff you already know.

When I lived in Germany, one of my favourite fish was Zanderfilet.  What I loved even more was that there wasn’t a precise English translation.  It was just awesome fish from pristine German fresh water lakes.  That’s really all you needed to know.  At Zuvine you can also sit outside and dine across from a fabulous church and you might get lucky and see hot air balloons as you munch on your fish.

Once you have a full belly, you can head to Vilniaus and start your bar crawl.  I started at Distilerija and had the Smoked Manhattan – the showcase cocktail.  It was fine.  I am very spoiled when it comes to cocktails so you might think it better than fine. It’s worth checking out just to people watch.  It’s definitely young happening Vilnius.  I tried to order salmon tartare but it was going to take about an hour so I gave up.

Considered The Bubbles, a spot specializing in all things sparkling, and Alchemikas,

rum sublime

supposedly a very serious cocktail bar, but they were too quiet, so chose the Rhum Room instead.  It was mostly a large boisterous birthday party but they gave it a lively vibe.  According to my lovely server, it opened in November 2015.  She carefully constructed an excellent mojito and was very pleased when I told her it was better than the ones I’d had in Cuba.

I also managed to get some food.  The menu was limited but the jerk chicken lollipops and sweet potato fries were excellent.

plein air tunes

I also caught a band at Vasaros Tersasa.  It’s only open in summer months but there is a big, boisterous courtyard and the cover was only two euros.  It felt like you were in real Vilnius rather than Vilnius aspiring to be Brooklyn or London.  I ended the night by popping into a crowded pub on the way back to the hotel for a beer since I was in Eastern Europe and you really should drink the local beer.  It was the most authentic (and cheapest) experience of the evening, proving there are options at different price points.

So, check out aspiring hipster Vilinius (sans most of the curated facial hair) or revel in authentic Vilnius.  Or sample both.  Just make sure you go before it’s as packed with tour buses as Prague!

 

 

 

 

 

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