Travel-flying, driving or cruising

Last week, we completed our three-part series on our latest sojourn to a far away continent – South America. We set foot on three countries, Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, but unlike previous recent travels, we didn’t stay long enough to assimilate much of the culture and lifestyle of these South American countries because we chose to go on a cruise this year. At most, we stayed in a country for two days, and then sailed again to our next destination, so that much of our time was spent on the high seas.

The question that I am often asked is: where lies my preference, cruising or longer stays in a chosen destination, the better to appreciate the culture, cuisine and lifestyle of a foreign land? Actually, both options have their own advantages. Staying in a foreign country for several days affords one the education and the pleasures of learning and appreciating another culture, their art and their language.

One can zero in on one country, then explore the various cities and discover the nuances of these cities under the umbrella of one country. We did that about three or four years ago, driving across the plains of Spain, from Madrid to Barcelona and several cities in between and appreciated how Madrid, for example, is the center of art in this exciting country while Barcelona pulsates, throbs with more action and excitement.

Our wives enjoyed the wet market there too, buying up as much chorizos as they can carry back to the Philippines. These are the very tasty chorizos that ooze red oil when fried and are absolutely delicious! Our children too certainly enjoyed this bustling city, even joining the street party that lasted till the wee hours in the morning to celebrate this city’s football win against their counterpart in Madrid. In contrast, the only thing they seemed to appreciate in Madrid was the food. Barcelona is definitely a young city, and in contrast Madrid offers less mundane interests, notably in the arts where visits to old churches and museums are a must.

In between, we tried out the different paellas in Seville, Valencia, Malaga and the resort city ofMarbella, and believe me each city had its own take on the iconic paella. The war of which city in Spain has the best paella still rages up to now and each city fiercely lays claim to this distinction. The Spaniards are passionate, if nothing else, and take pride in what they have to offer. Mostly, though, we found that the paellas across Spain are more “wet” than our Filipino version.

We appreciated the quaint city of Salamanca with its old brick government buildings, winding brick pathways and charming outdoor cafes, where life is slow and languorous, laid back and serene as people gathered around in groups, watching life go on while sipping their sangrias. Incidentally, we had our fill of this as well. Superb!!!

We also tried cramming four countries into two weeks, driving through Germany, France, Switzerland and Spain in two great-performing and very comfortable BMWs. We caught the Octoberfest in Germany, a unique experience in itself as we mingled with locals and tourists, everyone friendly and well, inebriated and happy. We located Rizal St. where our national hero once lived as a young student and checked out the small park dedicated to him and found it to be needing some attention and maintenance.

In Switzerland, we spent a lot of time looking for the best buys in fine calf leather jackets, and went home with some good purchases.

On another trip to the Swiss Alps, the scenery was magnificent and postcard pretty, but the Swiss are so laid back that the streets are empty by 9 p.m., and we were surprised to find that it was not easy to find a restaurant that serves fondue! When we finally chanced upon one, the bill was stupendous.

What we always do when we travel in a group is we pool our money together, held in trust by one who is then in charge of paying for meals, taxis, trains, etc. It is always a fair way of sharing the expenses, and very convenient too for everyone.

Cruising is an altogether different experience. I guess we chose to go on a cruise this year because cramming in too many countries in a short span of time wreaks havoc on one’s aging body. Just heaving those heavy suitcases so many times in one trip is enough to make one cross off this option, for the next year or two at least.

On a cruise, as soon as one settles down in his very comfortable cabin and the ship sets sail, life stands still in a most languid way. It is a virtual food trip, and one can have more than his fill for the whole duration of the trip. The breakfast buffet offers everything, but as any seasoned cruiser knows, the extensive spread doesn’t change all throughout the trip. Best to pace yourself, but we found that towards the end of the cruise, no matter how we paced ourselves, we just had enough of the same food every day.

That is probably why they have specialty restaurants offering steaks, Japanese cuisine, Italian, etc., but dining here is quite expensive. One our fifth day, we were ready to turn our back on free food and tried out the Japanese restaurant where we found out that the service crew was an all-Filipino one, from the chef to the waiters and bartenders. We ended up chatting with the friendly Pinoys and discovered that they do not meet too many Pinoys in the South American cruise. Actually, aside from the two groups of Filipinos who came from the United States, we were the only other Pinoys on board, and I can understand why. Travelling to this part of the globe is no joke – it is way too far, and chalking up 27 flying hours just to get to Brazil is just too tiring. Well, we had enough time to rest and languish in bed for a whole week. That’s what cruising offers.

Mabuhay!!! Be proud to be a Filipino.

Contact: businessleisure-star@stv.com.ph/sunshine.television@yahoo.com