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During our stay in Mendoza, it was clear to me that Teri and Oscar (our gracious hosts) are expert travelers. One night during dinner, I jotted down some quotes from Teri:

Traveling in your country and other countries opens your mind.

The money spent traveling is not an expense but an investment.

They [Big Oil] will make you think that you cannot live without it [oil].

The quote on Big Oil was in response to our surprise of how few people in South America have (or even need) cars. With plentiful inexpensive taxis, impressive intercity bus networks, and an efficient metro in Santiago, traveling around Chile and Argentina was a breath of fresh air (literally) when it comes to inexpensive, reliable, and sustainable transportation.

Finally, Teri introduced us to the concept of a traveler’s “honeypot” when Tiff, Greg, and I were talking about tracking shared expenses (i.e., who paid for lunch, the taxi ride, bus tickets, etc.). When paying for most things by cash as we were, consider having everyone who shares expenses to chip in the same amount to a honeypot, and pay for shared expenses from that bucket of cash. When the honeypot is dry, simply have everyone add the same amount more. We began using this tactic after Mendoza, and it worked great.

I’m not going to pretend that I know the intricacies of beer brewing and tasting, but I can say that I concur with RateBeer and BeerAdvocate in that the best beer in the world is Trappist Westvleteren 12, which is brewed by the monks of the Trappist Abbey of Saint Sixtus of Westvleteren in Belgium. The beer itself is very hard to come by (only available for pickup by appointment), and that fact alone probably accounts for much of well-deserved the hype.

Go Rick Steves:

Travel broadens our perspective, enabling us to rise above the 6 p.m. news — and see things as citizens of the world. By plugging directly into the present and getting the world’s take on things, a traveler goes beyond traditional sightseeing.

When we travel today we have the opportunity to see history as it’s unfolding. With knowledge of the past, we can better appreciate the significance of what’s happening today. And that’s something a lot of travelers don’t give themselves an opportunity to do.

The Dutch love their fietsen, or bicycles. It’s been said that there are more bikes than people in the Netherlands (around 16 million), and with nearly 85% of the population owning bikes, it’s certainly a biking culture… No wonder that I became infatuated with Dutch bikes during my study abroad in Delft.

When I moved to California, I decided that it was time to get a decent bike that I could use to commute to work during the week and for rides along the beach on the weekends. After my experience in Holland, I knew that a Dutch bike would fit the bill perfectly… You sit high on a them, which allows you to see over traffic. The splash and chain guards keep you clean in your work clothes, and the front and rear lights help keep you safe when riding in the dark. I ultimately went with the 7-speed Delft Blue Batavus Entrada Spirit – it has all of the above “Dutch features,” in addition to internal gears and rollerbrakes, a dynamo that powers the front light, a built-in rear wheel lock, a rack to carry groceries (and sometimes friends who need a lift), and of course a bell. Also, for Christmas I got a nifty little Cateye Micro Wireless bike computer and have since logged 238.4 miles.

Yes, I’m quite fond of my fiets, and since it’s my main means of transportation now, I figured it was worth a post on the ol’ blog. Now I just need a Breakfast Machine like Pee Wee, and I’ll be all set…