StringGrrl sees the World

A short walk off the main drag in Cabo San Lucas you can find some of the best tacos and best value that StringGirl and Amber have had. On the advice of Nancy we made sure to stop once before we left. Javier "Gordo" serves as the Chef, server, and singer. At the request of the diners he will break into song singining selections by the Beatles filling the small space with his powerful voice, wearing such props as a shag wig, miniature guitars, and toy pianos and keyboards. We ordered the Fish tacos, asada tacos, chicken tacos and chorizo tacos. They were all great but at our table the chorizo tacos were declared the winners. We also had two quesadillas and two beers and colas. After enjoying our after dinner show we fessed up for a grand total of 155 pesos for the dinner by far the cheapest meal of the whole trip and one of the best. Thanks Javier.

 StringGirl and Amber arrived in Los Cabos two days before Christmas. The weather was beautiful and clear for their arrival. From the nearly private beachhead at Terra Sol a view of the Pacific fills the the horizon as the waves break upon the shore.  Christmas Eve a few horses came to offer "free"-ish rides to the kids on the beach.  The sunsets are spectacular with the completely unobstructed view of the western Pacific. Today, sea turtle nest hatched and the baby sea turtles made their way into the violent surf. This little guy lagged behind and was scooped up by a ranger then shared with the Grrls. Search for Travel Deals Outside Magazine Gear of the Year Summer 2010: eBags Mother Lode TLS Junior

StringGirl makes her way for her last trip for the year. Making her way to Cabo. She will be kept company by Amber the newest addition to the family. That's Amber with the dark hair posing with StringGirl in the window of this Delta Boeing 757. Today's flight takes the String Kids to Salt Lake on the way to Cabo and the Baja Penninsula. Sheri, Issa, and DreyKa accompany the StringKids as they venture south of the border for the first time.

No luck on this one. As i try to find the small cache in this urban park. Try to make sense of the clue did not offer any help. And dodge the muggles.  At one point some fellow cachers lurked at ground zero and appeared to fall short as well.

A cold morning after a windy and snowy night. So walking without the heavy snowflakes and was welcome. Caching in town as the skiing nearby has not fully started. Fountain at the entraince JACKPOT. Got the Cache A view from the cache Big Head at the entry way to the cache A cold morning after a windy and snowy night. So walking without the heavy snowflakes and was welcome. Caching in town as the skiing nearby has not fully started.

Not the usual post for StringGirl this post is about home instead of the road. The tie-in is that when homesick in the winter time this is one of those home comforts that I find myself thinking of. Ingredients: 2 TBSP oil 3 cloves garlic 1 cup long grain rice 2 TBSP light soy 6-8 cups asian chicken stock (notes to follow) 1/2 pound chicken fine cubed Sriracha (Hot Sauce) Chakway (Savory Chinese crullers) pork rinds (my folks like it on the porridge not me) Saute the uncooked rice in Hot oil with Garlic until fragrant. Deglaze with Lite soy Add chicken stock to rice (start with 6 cups reserve 2 cups to adjust consistency) and simmer stirring to prevent burning and sticking to bottom When rice is "fully cooked" there should still be 1-2 inches above the rice level When rice is fully broken down porridge will have creamy texture, add chicken and poach in the soup Ladle it up and serve with Hot Sauce and choice of toppings Outside M...

Located on the Josefstrasse halfway between Viadukt and Langstrasse this little restaurant has been nagging at me for 4 years as a potential evening dining experience. As thai food is common enough the menu had never pulled me in, however today as the chilly air set it I thought to try the fare here. Determined to pull from only the Tibetische section of the menu I opted for the "Yak Momo" and a bier. Exactly what is Yak Momo, my scant suisse-deutsch vocabulary could not quite extract. It is house made to order and was warned that it takes about 20 minutes to prepare (slow food appealing further). Had i not selected the Momo-there is a veggie or beef option-the server recommended the buffet. As a starter I added the "shabale" a pastry made in house filled with a spiced meat mixture and a salad and a sweet-sour chili sauce. Looked nice in preparation and a nice starter.  Momo it turns out are dumplings, artfully folded and steamed. It turns out that I ate ...

Jasmine poses with the large Clown balloon in the background This Thanksgiving we braved the chilly air to participate in the annual festivities of Thanksgiving in the D. The Thanksgiving Day parade lauded as " Americas Thanksgiving Day Parade ". While not as large or widely viewed as the Macy's Parade, the Detroit event is one of the longest running parades celebrating Turkey Day (the second oldest; an honor it shares with the Parade in NYC as both started in 1924). Kermit Braves the cold wearing only a festive hat The Clydesdales and Jasmine A large Dragon bobs down Woodward My Girls Santa Rides in with his Team StringGirls bag of choice-->  eBags Mother Lode TLS Junior

The sleeping berths of Yotel When traveling Trans-Atlantic or intra continental eventually you will be stranded in an airport for an interminable length of time. For folks traveling to US-Europe or US-India I have seen plenty of 6-10 hour layovers. Sure many non-travelers have mooned over the chance to slip out the city from the airport; however leaving the secure area to chance a train or taxi is to the jaded business traveler a risk not always worth the trouble. Often all i want is to rest without the restless concern over bags security, lack of privacy, and maybe even sleep soundly in relatively sanitary environs. StringGirl in the Yotel standard room FTW (for the win) is Yotel in the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport . Nestled in the secure area of lounge 2 above terminal D is the dutch interpretation of the "pod" hotels common in the far east. Much larger than a Japanese pod the Yotel rooms provide perhaps the most comfortable 7 square m...

After a long day of traveling, to sit in a comfy spot to relax before running to the next flight has become one of the few respites during this last few years of travel. However, on occasion the lounges are lacking. The visit to the lounge of MUC (Munich) airport is perhaps one of those let downs. Only Marseilles-Provence Airport is worse from my limited experience (the have no Air France lounge at all, go figure). Upstairs over looking Terminal 1, the lounge is small and to put it mildly a bit tatty. The microfiber chairs were thread bare and a bit run down. In my college days at the Fraternity they would have been deemed second floor chairs; first floor chairs having been made pretty after retrieval from the neighboring Sorority houses curb or dumpster. The air in the lounge was stifled and stale, maybe to get us ready for the canned air of the plane; an unfortunate situation as the highly audible AC was apparently not doing anything. Lighting in the lounge was low to the point of ...

Stringgirl, kam-muter, and PeterPan went caching in the high hills of Bavaria near Tegernsee. A long walk along the "stations of the cross" find you at a high placed chapel.

In Pfaffenhofen after a short visit to Zurich. Working again with my Bayerische team. The cache "pfaffenhofen bunker" (paraphrased) was farther from the city center than we thought. Starting in the light, but arriving in the dark (though the stop for beer may have influenced that as well. The cache was located easily once my team mate proved that his phone is superior (or at least better Calibrated).