Posts by Ariane
10 Days in Oruro
Oruro is a small city located at 3700 meters in the Cordillera of the Andes. The most popular thing in Oruro is the Carnival, which is one of the most famous in Bolivia. Unfortunately, we were there one month too early, so we couldn’t attend this very special event that lasts for four days. But we were still able to visit the city and enjoy the very welcoming Orureños, and also the Christmas celebrations. Here is what we did: After our one-month “break” in Cochabamba, we decided to go back to the high mountains to see our new friend from La Paz whose family is from Oruro. First I have to say that the trip from Cocha to Oruro is terrific! The city is...
Read MoreWhere to Eat in Oruro
Where to eat or have a drink in Oruro? Despite the fact that Oruro is not a very big city, there are plenty of good places to eat and have a drink so you won’t have any problem to find what you want. * 1$=6.95 BoB “Bolivianos” (2012) Though it is mentioned in travel guides that the best food in Bolivia is in Cochabamba, we found in Oruro quite a lot of decent and cheap restaurants where we had most of the times “almuerzos” (lunches) and sometimes dinner, here is a list of our favorites. Suigerneris 607 calle 6 de Octubre. They have Almuerzos (set lunches) for 17 bob and dinner for around 25 bob. Every Thursday night there is a band who...
Read MoreCarnival in Cochabamba
Saturday 8th of November happened to be the Entrada Universitaria Carnival in Cochabamba. We were completely unaware of this event until we went downtown for a walk and found out about this great carnival, which is much smaller than the Cochabamba Carnival. Still, it was our first carnival, so it was great! Check out the summary and photos we took. While we were walking on our way to El Prado after having worked all morning and early afternoon, we started to see some Cochabambinos and Cochabambinas wearing uniforms like Cholitas and Cholitos, performing dances in front of a local orchestra. We thought, “There must have been an event that is now finished, and...
Read MoreA Whole Month in Cochabamba
Cochabamba is a middle town six hours east of La Paz. We went there basically to save money, to rest and to get a bit of privacy after three months of staying at people’s places. We choose Cocha for its very good climate. Check out what we did, and what events we attended in this great city during our stay. * 1$=6.95 BoB “Bolivianos” (2012) We arrived in Cochabamba on the 14th of November after a night bus trip of almost seven hours. We arrived in the very early morning at around 6.30 am. We had booked a room at the Residencial Familiar, a very nice hotel (130 Bolivianos for a double room with private bathroom) in calle Sucre. We then immediately started...
Read MoreSweets in Egypt
What kind of sweets can you find in Egypt? These can include cookies, oriental pastries, milk-based desserts, pancakes, baklavas, etc… This article completes the two previous ones: Vegetarian food in Egypt and Drinks in Egypt. With these three articles you will have a good overview of what you can eat and drink in Egypt (excluding meat and alcoholic drinks). This article will give you a good idea of the kind of sweets you can find in Egypt, and is based on our 20 years of experience in this country. Oriental Pastries You will find oriental pastries in special sweet shops, like El Abd and Tseepass—two very famous chains of sweet stores. Oriental pastries are usually...
Read MoreWhat to Drink in Egypt?
You can find all kinds of hot and cold drinks in Egypt! Whether you are in a café or visiting a friend, this is a list of the most famous drinks offered in Egypt. After writing an entire article about vegetarian food in Egypt, I felt that something was missing… Well, what goes with food? Drinks, of course! So here is another article that will complete the first one, in which you will find a list of the drinks you can find in Egypt. Tea Egypt is a “tea country”, and Egyptian people drink tea all the time! The Egyptian tea is a black tea served in tea bags in the glass or put directly in the glass without a bag. It is usually served with a lot of sugar, but...
Read MoreOnly in the US
This article is a smorgasbord of photos and facts that made us feel that we were indeed in the United States. For the most part, these are things you won’t see anywhere else. Looking back at our 2.5-month trip to the US and viewing the photos that we took, we came up with the idea of posting photos of things you only see in the US, or things that seemed strange, new or weird to us. Those points are posted randomly, and don’t have any connection to each other (besides the fact that they were seen in the US). Only in the US can you see: And also, what we couldn’t capture in photos: Huge quantities of food in restaurants. Selling cigarettes and alcohol...
Read MoreDo’s and Don’ts in Egypt
Summary: Here is a post highlighting the things you should and shouldn’t do in Egypt (based on our experience of living in the country for over two decades). Since Bassel and I have been living in Egypt for a long time (15 and 20 years respectively), we thought it would be useful to write a post about things you should and shouldn’t do in Egypt. This post is very beneficial for expats and those who want to visit the country. The aim of this post is to help you understand what is socially acceptable from the locals’ point of view in order to make your life easier in this wonderful country. So here we go. In Egypt, don’t: Wear shorts and sleeveless...
Read MoreCar-Free day in Cochabamba
This is how a Car-Free day looks like in Cochabamba a city of 500 000 people. Not only the atmosphere gets cleaner, but people go out, walking, biking, skating; you can find many stalls selling food, handcrafts, drinks; and others educating people about environmental issues and recycling; and of course a lot of activities for the children. This morning I woke up like every day, took a shower, had my breakfast and thought of what we were going to do today as we planed to go to the Cristo de la Concordia at last! But after a while I started to realize that I didn’t hear any noise outside (I thought: “another curfew maybe?”) and when I looked through the...
Read MoreOur First Days in La Paz
We arrived in La Paz in the middle of the night after a very tiring flight from Los Angeles. The first thing you see from the plane—and then at anytime during the night—is the lights. La Paz, unlike many other cities, is illuminated by two different colors of lights—yellow and blue. This is so beautiful—it looks like a big Christmas tree. In addition, the different levels of the city increases the beauty of this night landscape. * 1$=6.95 BoB “Bolivianos” (2012) We found a room on Airbnb and stayed at a Bolivian family home (Natalia & her mother) in southern La Paz, a 20-minute drive from downtown. The family was waiting for us, and after welcoming us...
Read MoreWho we are?
Bassel & Ariane, a couple who quit their jobs to realize their dream "traveling around the world". This travel website is our way to share with you the amazing adventures we have had, with the goal of helping to make your own travels more enjoyable.
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