Seasoned Sampler

Wild and wonderful tales of travel, food, local style and everything in between. Welcome to the world of the Seasoned Sampler by Emma George.

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First spoonful

Lush rainforests, aqua waters and calm currents. Colourful boats floating in bays and big Brazilian women frolicking on the shores.

The first sweet spoonful of Brazil’s natural splendour. 

Paraty, Brazil

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Second soles

No sounds of automobiles. Just the flipping and flopping of rubber shoes on cobbled stones.

Paraty, Brazil 

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Heads down

Finger points straight. Walk this way chickas. 

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 

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Falling from the skies 

Iguazu Falls, Argentina

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Water walls

An adventure to a natural wonder. To a land of water walls cascading across country boarders. A place crawling with strange critters and clouds of misty air. 

The closest thing to Jurassic Park and The Land Before Time, only without our prehistoric friends that caused dinosaur hysteria in the 90s.

Iguaçu Falls, Brazil

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Jade fountain

Iguaçu Falls, Brazil

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Inefficiencies

Jaw dropping, head shaking, eye bulging inefficiencies. Enough to make fists clench and feet stomp.  Here was I thinking coffee service on Saturdays is slow and the postal system is a tad sloppy.  Nicht, nei, ne and no. South America takes the cake. The whole cake and eats it painfully slowly.  Blissfully unaware of their chaotic systems, I found myself wanting to jump across the counter with a whistle, point and shout, creating order and increasing productivity in a military-style fashion.  I resisted. I think they're happy being inefficient. Keep stamping people, keep stamping.

South America

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Little blue

Buenos Aires, Argentina

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Drums

Buenos Aires, Argentina

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Transformational leather

We were not about that DJ, but we were about having a big night.

Lunch in Palermo made last night’s drinks sit a little better in the stomach. Dolce de leche ice cream was a cool relief for our heightened body temperatures. Food was a great hangover helper but no cure.

Las Pepas changed all that. Just another look at their funky leather goods was transformational.

With a skip in our step and grins the width of Palermo, we bounced out the door swinging our purchases, not even noticing the feather light weight of our pockets. 

Las Pepas (Avenida Santa Fe 3253, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires; http://laspepas.com.ar)

Buenos Aires, Argentina

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Take a seat

Colonia, Uruguay

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Talking history 

Colonia, Uruguay

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Lost

Nothing really went according to plan. Not one thing.

We paid far too much for a daily pass to Uruguay because we messed up the exchange rates; walked in the wrong direction for over an hour; found ourselves at a highway cross road in what appeared to be the wasteland of Coochiemudlo; hitchhiked back to where we got off on the wrong foot; and then sat down at a restaurant completely famished.

At the height of starvation we waited an unexplainably lengthy period for a coffee and sandwich; unintentionally flashed half the tourists in Colonia going up the lighthouse stairs; and insulting all English-speaking boat passengers on the hour long ride home as we listed and laughed at the most ghastly baby names we could think of.

Apart from that, we had a lovely time wondering around picturesque historic quarter of Colonia (not to be confused with the highway wasteland). 

Colonia, Uruguay

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Planted

Colonia, Uruguay

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Dolce de leche

Argentina’s answer to Nutella, but it’s caramel instead of hazelnut and called Dolce de Leche.  It’s the pot of gooey gold in every Argentinian ice cream, patisserie, chocolate bar and biscuit. Eaten at any time of the day, starting with breakfast.  My type of spread. 

Buenos Aires, Argentina

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Colouring in 

Buenos Aires, Argentina

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La Boca

The money shot: vibrant rainbow colours of ramshackle buildings in La Boca. Just a money shot. 

 In, smile for a cheesy photo, and out. Tick. Done.

Buenos Aires, Argentina