Happy Hour at Cafe Caracol, Florence

ah firenze. yes, it is a city for romance. but did you know that it is also a city with the most amazing happy hour scene in italy?

just off piazza san lorenzo on via dei ginori, a spunky tex-mex restaurant was my tuesday through friday 2 hour ritual for 4 months. a 2-for-1 special on drinks as well as half off pitchers of sangria, margaritas and daiquiris made cafe caracol a hot-spot for the deal-seeking, thirst-quenching types. packed to the brim with students, travelers, and locals, cafe caracol played up the cheese factor and played down the attitude. it was fun. pure and simple.

one of the most memorable nights at cafe caracol was standing outside waiting for the doors to open. my friend and i decided to get there early and wait to grab premium seats at the bar.
5:00pm - we wait
5:01pm - another pair of patrons joined us in our eagerness
5:03pm - 3 backpackers join us
...
5:29pm - over 40 of us are clamoring at the door to enter
5:30pm - doors open
5:31pm - we are stuck at the back wall far away from the best seats in the house...

...until a gentleman shouted in our direction, "ragazze! venite qui!" we squeezed our way over to him and he actually offered us the two seats at the bar! he had kindly been saving them for us knowing that we were the first ones lined up at the door. "grazie mille!" we yelled, excited about our good fortune. it turns out the gentleman was the owner of the restaurant. we even received the first pitcher on the house.

on a recent trip to florence, i found myself in piazza san lorenzo and hoped to relive the good old happy hour days. but cafe caracol was no longer. such a pity. luckily, there was a happy hour spot just down the street. thank you, florence!

tiptoeing through florence...

xoxo

Airplane Full of Miss World Contestants

imagine flying the friendly skies with a cabin full of crowns and sashes. that is, crowns and sashes donned by tall, beautiful, well-heeled women.
hello british airways.


it was end of october 2011. charles de gaulle airport in paris.
with my latte and smart phone in hand, i scoured the gate for a seat. hmmm... gorgeous #1. gorgeous #2. gorgeous #3. wait a minute. yes, there are beautiful people in paris but this was different. it was not until i saw miss ivory coast walking past me with her gear that i realized... a beauty pageant. the ladies cordially acknowledged one another, exchanged short words, and returned to their to-dos.

"we're boarding at gate...." BA announced.
the gate came to life and the subtle line took shape. there were many more than 4. some were wearing sashes. some were wearing their crowns. some were just extremely well-dressed and made up. but the interaction between the women gave it away. all contestants on their way from paris to london for the prelims of miss world 2011.

what are the chances i sit next to a contestant, i wondered.
it turned out 100%.
i sat next to miss ivory coast - a regal, poised women with much beauty pageant experience under her belt.
between all the autograph signing and picture taking, we got to chatting about the contest and the life behind the pageantry.

being a beauty pageant queen is tough. she is expected to be beautiful, classy, natural, and intelligent. she wears a smile on her face all the time but sometimes it's real and sometimes it's forced. the beauty pageant environment is very competitive and thus, the women find it difficult to make friends when they are competing with each other for the same title. they are also trying to represent their country in the world arena and do not want to disappoint. it is a stressful, cutthroat and lonely journey.

as i looked around the cabin, i saw a little of what miss ivory coast spoke of... the glimpse of sadness behind the beauty. the anxiety behind the smile. despite all the oohing and ahhing over them by the regular joes and the flight attendants, the contestants were lost in thought.

i got curious so a couple weeks later i searched miss world 2011. maybe miss ivory coast? nope. winner - miss venezuela. i wondered what miss ivory coast was doing now...

photo credit:  reddit.com

tiptoeing on planes...

xoxo
s

February 2012 - The Crazy Things That Happen When You Travel

i love to travel. the two stamp-filled double decker passports in the last 10 years are only the beginning when it comes to proving my passion for it. the places i see, the people i meet, and the food i eat all contribute to the travel experience. but it's the crazy thing that happens when you travel that truly sets that exact spot in the world apart from anywhere else. the craziness of that moment leaves an unforgettable mark in your memory. 

so what crazy things have happened to me on my worldwide adventures? honestly, too many to tell. but this month, i'll highlight 29 of them. These may not be the funniest or craziest, but they are the first that come to mind and that's a good enough filter for me. they are listed here, not in any particular order. 

- the Balinese proposal

- robbed in Barcelona

- last minute Barca futbol

- little boy's awakening in Buenos Aires

- stuck in a porteno thunderstorm in Buenos Aires

- crooning up Dead Woman's Pass to Machu Picchu

- ice cream from Dubrovnik

- locked-in with Egyptian jammers

- the Sudanese refugee camp in Zamalek

- the flight with the Miss World contestants

- the midnight train with the 2 Spaniards

- free Parisian meals for saying "merlot"

- talking to ghosts in Prague

- Seoul's "nothing fits you in here, miss" 

- kraftor party in Sweden

- the best meal of our lives in Taormina

- the crowded sleeping car to Sicily

- dreams of a Venetian church front steps 

- brokedown taxi in Rio de Janeiro

- how to fit as many MBAs in one car in Paris

- out of luck on Sri Lanka's first highway

- wedding night chamber inspection in Karachi

- secret bakery closes in Florence

- the gutted cow in the streets of Taormina

- attack of the butterflies in Iguazu

- alone at sunrise in Angkor Wat

- the date night in Aire de Sevilla

- happy hour at Caffe Caracol, Florence

- white light moment in Bali

looking forward to tiptoeing through my past crazy world adventures!

xoxo

s

Namdaemun Market, South Korea

nam means south. daemun means gate. at the southern gate of seoul lies namdaemun market. it is the oldest south korean traditional market where food stuff, clothes and money were traded starting the 1400s.

today, it is a popular attraction for all ages. it is packed with retailers selling anything and everything you can think of. i go there mostly for the plethora of food stalls that serve the hottest and most delicious street food. my favorites to eat at the market are:

dukbokki - korean spicy rice cake
soondae - korean blood sausage
odaeng - korean stir-fried fishcake
mandoo guk - dumpling soup
bindae duk - mung-bean pancakes

but you can find so much more from marinated meats to soups to noodles. pair any of your choices with some korean soju or makkoli and you will be in culinary heaven.

it is almost always packed with locals and tourists alike and is an easy way to spend a few hours eating, shopping and walking around this traditional korean marketplace.

it is open most of the day and night so just head to jung-gu in seoul. if you are taking the subway, take line 4 to hohyeon.

tiptoeing around south korea...

enjoy!!!

xoxo
s

Buddha's Birthday in South Korea

photo credit:  panoramio.com

if it's the 8th day of the 4th month of the lunar calendar year, it's buddha's birthday.
in south korea, it's also known as the day when buddha arrived.
at the most famous buddha temple in south korea, bulguksa, the celebration begins with a string of colorful paper lanterns all over the temple grounds. the temple is lit in a beautiful red hue. the lantern parade is about to begin.

the lanterns pay homage to the living and the dead:
white lotus lanterns - for ancestors (the lotus lantern is unique to korea)
colored lanterns - for living family and friends

join the club! you can get your very own lantern for a loved one, sign a piece of paper that is slipped onto the lantern, and hang it on any available spot on the string of lanterns. to top it off, you can make a wish by piling a high stack of small rocks. don't worry... you can't miss the many other wishes lying around. just follow along.

it's a beautiful day. it's a wonderful celebration. if you happen to be in south korea in the spring, check the lunar calendar for the 8th day of the 4th month. you just might be in time for buddha's birthday.

tiptoe through south korea

xoxo
s

Gyeongbok Goong (Palace) in South Korea

the king's main palace from the chosun dynasty.
gyeongbok goong translates to the palace of shining happiness.





take a stroll through the kingdom of old. it dates back to the 14th century of the choseon dynasty.
located in north seoul, it is a large complex with separate pavilions and halls for different activities.
the first photo is of the grand hall where the king used to host dignitaries and give declarations. it was burned down in the late 1500s when the japanese invaded korea.

for a taste of cultural history, gyeongbok goong is a must-stop if you are in seoul. and if you are lucky, you might be there on the extraordinary day when the palace stays open at night.

where is it located?  seoul-si jongno-gu sejong-ro 1-1
visit www.royalpalace.go.kr for more information
important note - closed on tuesdays!

tiptoeing through south korea

xoxo
s

24 Hour Spas in South Korea

the korean sauna experience. there's nothing quite like it.
picture this:  a multi-level complex filled with restaurants, showers, steam rooms, saunas, communal sleeping areas, matching colorful his/hers spa outfits, princess leia head towels, dead skin cell scrubbing ladies, hard boiled eggs and lots of them. this is just skimming the surface at a 24 hour sauna in south korea.

it is the ultimate destination to have clean fun. it is a date place, a family place, a girls'/guys' night out place. some stay for a scrub and leave after 2 hours. others stay the whole day. some use it as a hotel and sleep there at night after a nice dip in the hot tub.
to enter, ~$10 entrance fee usually covers it.

where can you find a 24 hour korean spa? there are many in seoul and in the other big cities. the most popular are listed below for your reference. check one out when you are korea. you won't regret it!

dragonhill spa - 40-713 3-ga Hangang-ro, Yongsan-gu
spa lei - 8-22, Jamwon-dong, Seocho-gu 


tiptoe through south korea...

xoxo
s