The Best Comments Of The Month: July 2010
As always, you have been gracing foXnoMad with your insightful, clever, and helpful comments, adding so much more than I ever could to each post. Each month I like to take some time aside to highlight some of the best comments but know that I appreciate every single one.
- Wandering Earl lets those flying in the US in on another great way to earn 20,000 miles with the JetBlue True Blue program.
- I agree with Corinne and Barbara, the top picture in this post is kind of gross.
- Pack less and shop local and you’ll be sure to have unique experiences when traveling – I think Sherry Ott‘s example is a classic one!
- Amy Q reminds us that while AT&T doesn’t like it, tethering your iPhone can be a great way to get around flaky Internet connections.
- Audrey adds another good plan for non-planners – be sure you’ve got your first night of accommodation in a new city in advance.
- Racking up miles fast on a round-the-world trip will be much easier to manage for Jenneil using this free Award Wallet coupon.
- Want to blend in locally and get good pictures? Well, Ayngelina has one of the simplest, clever, and most relaxing methods to try.
I hope that you’ll keep the comments and conversations coming. Myself and so many other readers learn, laugh, and benefit so much from your thoughts. They are invaluable and an integral part of foXnoMad. Thank you!
[photo by: law_keven (two foxes)]
How To Order Lomito At La Fuente Alemana In Santiago, Chile
The two La Fuente Alemana restaurants in Santiago, Chile visited by Anthony Bourdain, but already well known by Chileans, serves up a mean lunch – at the center of which is the lomito. The lomito is a large pork sandwich, about 15 centimeters across, typically teaming with avocado and dripping in mayonnaise.
Walking into La Fuenta Alemana in the middle of lunch hour, between noon and 3pm, can be overwhelming. The interior is packed and becomes standing room only during this peak time, but you too can order your lomito, with a side of local beer in a few easy steps – even if you don’t speak Spanish.
Finding La Fuente Alemana
There are two of them in the city, one in the Providencia area near the Pedro de Valdivia metro station and the other, further southwest by the Baquedano stop. They aren’t open on Sundays and a visit during the week around lunchtime ensures you’ll see the place in action. For a less hectic atmosphere, come around 2:30pm when things begin to slow down.
Entering “The German Fountain”
When you walk in, don’t stand in the line right by the door. That’s for people paying – make your way to the counter in the middle and sit down if there’s a spot. Otherwise you can stand and wait, people eat fairly quickly and spots open fast. Be prepared with your order, one of the waitresses will come up to you in a flash after you take your seat.
- You can go for the “completo” or “full” lomito with everything.
- The waitress will confirm with you that your lomito will be completo, with palto (avocado), mayonnaise, queso (cheese), and chucrut (sauerkraut).
- That’s the actual La Fuente Alemana statue below, which the restaurant is named after.
For good measure you can get a Kuntsmann, a slightly heavy Chilean beer along with your order.
Watching It All Happen
The instant your order is confirmed, a slab of chopped beef and pork will be thrown down on the grill in front of you, and the bread will be prepped with avocado. Within a few minutes a plate, barely big enough to fit your lomito, will be staring back at you with a fork and knife. Don’t be fooled though, most Chileans go in with their hands and might use the utensils to clean their plates.
Finishing Up And Paying
Once you’re finished, the common “check please” sign will be all you need to get your receipt. Take to the line you avoided upon walking in where you pay for your order. If you liked the service you can walk back to where you were sitting, say “gracias” to your waitress, and drop in a few coins in the numbered boxes located around the counter.
With you meal payed and tip left you can take a nice stroll up Avida Libertador Bernardo O’Higgins Avenue or hop the metro to Plaza de Armas and visit La Moneda Palace. After a few active hours you just might be able to burn off some of your lomito, which will likely keep you full for days.
How To Become A Traveling Chameleon And See The Sights Without Being One
Blending in when traveling, that is, being less noticeable as an outside or tourist, lies in the subtleties of patient observation. It’s the grandiose gestures which give you away and the inconspicuous ones that keep your cover. There is no single one way to blend in and soon after arrival you’ll need to discover the native mix first to become a traveling chameleon.
Leave The Extra Gear Behind
Locals walking on the streets typically don’t carry large specialized bags with them everywhere. Pockets might not be bulging with wallets; light jackets may be worn in what you consider warm weather. Whatever it may be, you likely have packed it or can leave it locked in your hotel. The items that can help you blend aren’t those found in specialty shops, unless of course you’re going to hang out with a bunch of hikers.
- When you do whip out your camera for a few photos, put it away when not in use.
Changing your focus can not only help you take better travel photos but make your camera less obvious as well.
Observe Faces, Not Places
The majority of cultural clues in a given place are walking all around you, expressed and in plain sight on the faces of everyone you’re trying to mimic. How do people interact with each other – at the grocery store checkout, how much eye contact takes place, for how long? You need to observe faces for how fundamental signals are conveyed like “yes”, “no”, and “friendly” versus “acknowledgment”.
- Notice The Little Things – Tiny differences in behavior that you exhibit are what make you stand out. Put your clothes on someone from the city you’re visiting, they probably wouldn’t be mistaken for a tourist.
- Watch The Pace – People all over the world walk at different paces; slow down or speed up to match the flow around you.
- Observe Conspicuously – Absorb all that’s going around you in snapshots, not trying to see everything at one. Getting caught wide-eyed disrupts your flow (see above) and makes you stick out.
- Learn A Few Words – Whether it’s the language, jargon, or native accent, even knowing just 4 words can go a very long way.
- Chat With Someone Living In The Area – There are 3 language social networks you can use to talk to locals and share a bit about yourself as well.
- Opps! – Don’t commit these international faux pas.
Remember, the people around you are live examples of numerous mannerisms, facial expressions, and sounds that all tell you what makes a local seem like a local.
The Benefits Of The Blend
Aside from the insights you gain through careful perception, the less outside attention you attract, the smoother your movement will be on sidewalks, markets, and popular tourist spots. Traveling chameleons are less attractive targets for pickpockets, overzealous shopkeepers who don’t know you can bargain your way to a good price.
One of the best reasons to blend in though is the confidence it gives you. Travelers who feel less out of place are more likely to go to lesser known restaurants, engage locals more frequently, and experiment with new experiences.
Added time is another bonus – or at least the perception of it. You can slow down and make the most out of your last impressions, using the process to look back on your entire trip, in between, and ahead for your next trip.
You’re Not A Local; Limits To The Disguise
There is no absolute, no complete blend possible. Locals can (eventually) always distinguish everyone else from themselves. It take a moment, perhaps until you utter your first few words of broken Spanish, but it’s not when you go unnoticed that’s important. It is what you notice to achieve that state that not only keeps you undercover, but lets you uncover the culture you’re visiting. You’re not completely changing who you are but rather making subtle adjustments to fit in just that much better.
[photos by: ifijay (chameleon), sculpture grrrl (faces), glsims99 (confidence bench)]
Free Award Wallet Upgrade Code For First 50 foXnoMad Readers
One of the best sites to manage all of your frequent flyer and reward accounts in one place, Award Wallet, is offering a free upgrade to Award Wallet Plus for the first 50 foXnoMad readers using the promotional code: “foxnomad”.
Award Wallet is free, and Award Wallet Plus has no set price (you name your own), but new and existing users can now upgrade for a number of enhanced features.
Sign-Up To Award Wallet Is Free
Award Wallet is my preferred manager for all my frequent flyer accounts since it not only tracks them, but alerts me when any are close to expiring, and can be used for hotel, credit card, and other reward programs as well. One of the major advantages of upgrading to Award Wallet Plus is getting expiration notices on an unlimited number of accounts (the basic version limits you to 3).
- Some of you had a few questions about Award Wallet security, which creators Todd Mera and Alexi Vereschaga were kind enough to answer.
- Sign up for Award Wallet here.
- Use the promotional code “foxnomad” to get a free upgrade to Award Wallet Plus. (Click My Account > Upgrade To Award Wallet Plus > Enter Price $1.00; you won’t be charged > Add Promotional Code)
- Award Wallet also lets you keep track of miles for other people like friends and family (i.e. your parents who have totally lost track of theirs).
Those of you using Award Wallet already have a great digital tool to track your miles, but there are still some more ways to bump up your frequent flyer earning up a notch.
Not Using Frequent Flyer Miles?
One of my 10 pieces of advice for backpacking novices and travelers in general is to get signed up with a frequent flyer program. Even if you don’t fly too often, most of the miles you earn will be on the ground anyway and you can easily get a free upgrade with less than an hour of your time.
- Follow the Reluctant Traveler’s (8 Minute) Guide To Using Frequent Flyer Miles
- Choose the right bank before going overseas to see if there are mileage bonuses.
The promotional code “foxnomad” is good for the first 50 people to use it (newsletter subscribers got a head start yesterday). However, even if you don’t get a chance to use the code, the basic version of Award Wallet alone is a very good way to keep track of, and encourage yourself to use those frequent flyer miles.
[photos by: Richard Moross (Cathay Pacific first class)]
