This Lean Journey

Farewell New York, Hello Chicago & Sorting Myself Out

Rachel — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:25:25 +0000

[The top centre photo is not just any hotel, it's the hotel from Home Alone 2, the best Home Alone]

Yesterday afternoon Jimmy and I just escaped the bad weather and flew to Chicago. I was sad to leave New York. I feel like we barely scratched the surface in the 6 days we were there. I know we’ll be back someday, sooner rather than later.

I wasn’t sure what to expect in Chicago. I was looking forward to it before we came to the US. Then when we told people we were coming here, most would say “really?!” We haven’t had time to explore properly yet, but so far I love it. We’re staying in the Wicker Park area and it has a really cool student/young professional feel about it. Plus the sun is shining, which always makes things rosier.

After some serious food and drink indulging over the last week, I’ve decided enough is enough. Yesterday I felt quite rough about how much I’ve eaten, combined with little exercise.

I’m not going to go into a fully blown healthy eating spree. I mean, I only have 5 weeks left in the States and I intend to make the most of it. However, I’m going to push myself to exercise more often (other than all of the walking I do).

It’s perfect then that Jess from Blonde Ponytail has created a Summer Shape Up Plan. Each week she is posting daily workouts to follow. Now I have no excuse. The workouts are right there for me to use, without even having to think for myself!

I did the Day 1 workouts today. The Lean Legs and Hard Core workouts were good ones. I’m looking forward to tomorrow!

This Lean Journey is a travel and fitness blog written by a girl embarking on a journey around the world while still trying to stay fit and healthy. I hope you’ll enjoy my experiences and tips, and maybe even add your own comments and advice.

Defeated but Happy

Rachel — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:43:53 +0000

This is me sweating my face off after running yesterday.

Don’t worry. The fact that I was a big, sweaty mess did not stop me sitting in Starbucks for at least an hour afterwards with an iced coffee and blueberry scone. I’m not ashamed to be the smelly person you try to avoid.

Finally, one of my dreams came true: I ran in Central Park.

It was fun.

It was hot.

It was tough.

I was so HAPPY!

Why was I defeated? The 77-80*F temperatures are the reason. Running at 1pm was not one of my brightest ideas. I was forced to walk for half a mile after running 4.5.

Somehow I switched the iPod camera to video, so I have a really thrilling 1 second video of my watch when I stopped to walk.

I blame the heat. Not my incompetence with electronics.

I won’t subject you to the video. I ran 36:03 for 4.5 miles.

In the end though, I still managed to run 6.5 miles (and walk half a mile) and I got to see more of the park than I would ever have seen by walking.

For my first run in 6 weeks, that’s not bad.

All About the Food

Rachel — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 14:57:59 +0000

The theme of my posts have been coming in waves recently. Last week it was all about Travel.

This week it’s all about the food (with a little bit of travel thrown in there).

Maybe one day I’ll do some exercise that I can write about. Or maybe not. Who knows?

Aaaanyway. Onto the food.

Firstly there were bacon and egg sandwiches with nice strong coffee (forgot to take a picture).

Then there was pizza in Little Italy (oops, no photo again).

Finally, after about 12 hours of walking the balmy streets of New York, there were Coronas and burritos at Pedro’s in Dumbo, Brooklyn.

(Our friend, Seamus, who we’re staying with and a really bad food shot).

I went for the spinach and mushroom burrito and it was amazing! It was the best burrito I’ve ever had.

Yesterday’s sightseeing included the Flat Iron building, Union Square, Canal Street, China town, Little Italy, Coney Island and Brooklyn Bridge Park. It was a busy day!

Hope you’re having a brilliant weekend!

The Size of a House

Rachel — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 16:33:09 +0000

It’s official. I’m going to be the size of a house once I’m done with the States.

Two days in New York and I feel like I’ve been eating for three!

It’s not my fault. There’s too much temptation.

For instance, most people I walk past have a coffee in their hand. Obviously this means I NEED an iced coffee NOW (does anyone else experience coffee envy?)

When our friend suggested a trip to a diner last night, I was so excited. A real American diner! Like in the films.

A feta and spinach burger with chips, 2 onion rings and a cheesecake milkshake later, and I was carrying one huge food baby (I only ate one burger. The one on the bottom is Jimmy’s, honestly).

Yes, that milkshake is actually a slice of cheesecake blended into milkshake form. When the waiter recommended it, how could I say no? Unbelievably tasty!

I love New York so far. We’re staying with a friend in Queens, who has a great view from his apartment.

Last night we explored the boardwalk in Long Island City and marvelled at the amazing views of Manhattan.

I am yet to run in Central Park. Believe me though, I’m not leaving here until I do! Especially after all of the food I’ve been tucking away. Plus Jimmy and I have tried twice to walk around the park and both times we have failed to get very far because it’s so huge. The only way around that is to run.

Facing My Fears

Rachel — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:37:48 +0000

“Scaredy cat”. That is one way I would describe myself!

I didn’t used to be so scared of things.

I (tandem) skydived six years ago without much fear (at least not until I was in the plane, watching my sister disappear into the clouds).

I suppose quitting my job and leaving England for an unknown length of time could be considered brave.

Leaving one life to pursue a completely different one isn’t what scares me though. It’s the situations I have to face when travelling that terrify me.

Take, for example, travelling on a bus on tiny winding roads when the bus driver seems to think it’s safe to overtake other vehicles on the corners (this has happened more times than I care to remember).

[Picture Source]

Yes, that happened on this road into Chile.

Another relatively new fear I’ve developed is a fear of flying. I took twenty flights in total last year. You’d think that would help combat the panic. Unfortunately, it only increased it.

Then of course, there are all of the deadly diseases out there, just waiting to take hold of my unsuspecting, pathetic English body. By the way, I think it’s safe to say I won’t be dying from mouse disease, this time!

My ‘fear list’ goes on!

As scared as I can get, I think the important thing is that I won’t let these fears stop me doing what I want.

It’s often these scary journeys that end up leading to the best things. If it gets too much, I can always just close my eyes!

In a few hours I’ll be taking the first of three flights to get to New York.

I’m sure it’ll be worth it.

A Trip to Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley)

Rachel — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 23:21:06 +0000

Yesterday afternoon Jimmy and I embarked on the last of our sightseeing tours in South America. On Wednesday we’ll be in NEW YORK!!! (I’m just slightly excited).

The last trip was a good one. Much more enjoyable than the geyser tour.

The main part of the tour was to watch the sunrise over moon valley. It was quite an amazing sight.

What I enjoyed about the tour was that we got to see quite a few different things. Although this did mean rushing around in this already banged up bus. I’m surprised we made it without breaking down!

We walked up to a really good viewpoint, which was more of a workout than I’d anticipated. This no exercising at altitude is obviously taking it’s toll on my fitness levels.

My favourite part though, has to be walking through the caves.

It was so fun!

I’m going to head off now. The internet at my hotel is sketchy and I want to publish my post before it dies!

A Cold Disappointment

Rachel — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 17:16:36 +0000

Jimmy and I generally don’t enjoy taking organised tours to attractions. There’s something about being shipped on and off a bus and being given timescales that takes the fun out of travel.

A short drive in the minivan with a tour at 5am, it became evident why it would have been almost impossible for us to navigate our own way to Geyser del Tatio. The road was unpaved and ~~slightly~~ extremely bumpy, to say the least.

The tour didn’t start well. We got up at 3:45am to make sure we were ready from the 4am pick-up time. The bus didn’t arrive until 4:40am. Depriving me from sleep is not a good idea!

We were assured we’d make it to the geysers in time for sunrise. This was Jimmy’s sole reason for going. His photography relies on good light, meaning he usually only shoots at sunrise and sunset.

When we arrive to freezing temperatures, 4,320m above sea level the sun was already coming up. Sadly it was not to be for Jimmy’s photography. He managed one photo that he was happy with.

The whole site looked other worldly, although I didn’t feel as impressed with the geysers as I thought I would.

Luckily, any altitude sickness was kept to a minimum thanks to the coca leaves the Chileans on our tour gave us to chew.

After the geyser tour we headed to the hot springs, which turned out to be more lukewarm rather than hot!

Stripping off into a bikini in temperatures barely above freezing is never a good idea. Since I’d come all of that way though, I did it anyway.

The best part of the tour was on the way back. We stopped a few times and saw so many animals including foxes, llamas and vicuñas (so cute).

We also stopped by an old, traditional village where I ate lots of tasty fried goods.

Overall, this wasn’t the best thing we’ve seen on this trip, but the tasty food and cute animal sightings made up for it.

Star Gazing in the Atacama Desert

Rachel — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 14:48:19 +0000

Shooting stars, Saturn and the Milky Way. These are just a few of the things we saw on our star gazing tour last night.

It was amazing!

Apparently this place is one of the best places on Earth to see the sky. It’s low light pollution and dry air make the sky prevents obstruction.

My clever husband managed to take this cool picture. (I didn’t even attempt photos with my camera!)

We were given a really interesting lecture about different stars and constellations (they were pointed out by a nifty green laser).

After the lecture we got to look at different things through various sizes of telescopes.

This picture is from the tour company’s website (basically none of the photos in this post are mine!)

The most amazing sight was Saturn! It looked like it could have been a sticker stuck onto the front of the telescope.

You can see a picture similar to what I saw here.

To finish the evening off, we went in a cosy hut to drink the best hot chocolate I’ve had in a long time.

Journey to the Desert

Rachel — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 17:48:26 +0000

Just a quick post today because I’m extremely tired after yet another long bus journey (23 hours, this time).

Jimmy, myself and some new friends made the journey from Santiago to San Pedro de Atacama, in the north of Chile.

The bus ride was nothing special this time. We didn’t get given nearly enough food, so I’m starving right now!

I got off the bus feeling pretty dizzy. Not sure if it’s due to the long journey, tiredness, hunger or altitude. Just in case, I’ll be laying off the exercise for a few days. I’ve never experienced altitude sickness and I really don’t want to!

I haven’t had a chance to snap any photos yet, but this is what the town looks like.

[Picture Source]

So cute and ‘deserty’.

Our hotel room feels like something from the Flintstones!

Over the next few days we’ll be visiting cool places like Valle de la Luna.

[Picture Source]

I can’t wait!

Another Recipe: Roast Vegetable Stir Fry

Rachel — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 14:06:55 +0000

Happy Monday morning! I hope you’re weekend was fabulous!

Mine was because I finally made it to Chile, although ten hours on a bus doesn’t make for an interesting blog read.

That’s why I’m sharing another recipe today.

The hostel in Mendoza had a decent kitchen, so I was able to make something slightly more exciting.

This meal was still really simple, but delicious. The leftovers the next day were pretty good too.

Roast Vegetable Stir Fry

(Serves 3)

Ingredients

Oil (olive, sunflower or vegetable)
1 large carrot, cut into batons
7 (approx) sprouts, peeled and halved
1 head of broccoli
salt & pepper
balsamic vinegar (optional)
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, finely sliced
160g fettuccine noodles
1/2 – 1 cup water
no salt vegetable seasoning powder (or stock cube)
1-2 teaspoons chilli powder

Directions

Put the carrot in a baking tray and toss in some oil, making sure you coat all of the carrots. Add salt and pepper. Put in the oven at about 200*C (400*F). After about 10 minutes add the sprouts and broccoli. Add more oil, salt and pepper as needed. You could also mix in some balsamic vinegar (I didn’t have any of this but think it would be tasty).
While the vegetable are roasting, cook the noodles and drain.
Once the veggies are cooked, remove from the oven.
In a large frying pan, heat a tablespoon of oil and add the onion. Cooked until softened. Add the cooked noodles, some water and the vegetable seasoning. Mix everything together.
Mix in the roast vegetables. Add more water as needed to prevent the noodles from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Stir in as much chilli powder as you like and serve.

Five Facts on a Friday

Rachel — Fri, 31 May 2013 15:06:50 +0000

1. We are trapped in Argentina. The pass to get into Chile has been closed for days because of bad weather. Jimmy and I are stuck in Mendoza, forced to drink wine and chat with new friends. It’s a hard life!

2. I exercised for a whopping 40 minutes yesterday! That’s a record amount of time since I’ve been away. I did this glute workout (it didn’t take me 30 minutes like it said) and this 7 minute tabata workout 3 times.

3. I love all of the free activities in this hostel. As well as the empanada cooking class, there has been wine tasting and tonight there is a mate class.

4. I went on a pinning spree the other day and found some great new recipes and workouts.

5. I’m loving the warm weather where we are right now. Finally, we have left Winter in Patagonia. Hopefully it will only get better from here as we work our way North.

Beef Empanadas Recipe

Rachel — Thu, 30 May 2013 18:43:52 +0000

The hostel Jimmy and I are staying at has something going on every night. A lot of it is free, too!

Last night I took part in an empanada cooking class.

Due to the small kitchen and there being about 12 people in the class we observed the cooking rather than doing anything ourselves! It was good though. The filling, at least, seemed simple enough to do.

I remembered my camera, but stupidly forgot to take pen and paper to jot down the ingredients/instructions (what sort of blogger am I?)! Also, most of the instructions were in Spanish and I had to do my best to decipher them.

I’ve hope I’ve remembered everything in the recipe below. Once I try it out myself I’ll make any adjustments needed.

The chef told us to use 2 tablespoons of salt per 1kg of flour for the pastry! I don’t think I could bring myself to use that much salt, so I’ve modified that in the recipe. Add more as less as you see fit.

The herbs and spices are a guessed amount, since she just free handed it.

By the way, these are far from healthy, but they’re so tasty. Especially when they’re fresh out of the oven.

Beef Empanadas

(Makes approx. 12)

Ingredients

Meat Filling

125g (1/2 cup) of lard
2 large onions, finely sliced
400g minced beef
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4-1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

For Pastry Dough (if you’re feeling lazy, just buy small empanada circle dough in the supermarket)

500g plain flour, sifted
1 teaspoon salt
140g (3/4 cup) lard, cubed
120-180ml (1/2-3/4 cup) water

Directions

Heat the lard in a large frying pan. Add the onions and cook until tender. Add the minced beef, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Cook until it is all brown. Stir in the paprika, cumin, oregano and chilli powder.
Now the hard part – the pastry. Put the flour in a large bowl and mix in the salt.
Add the lard and rub it into the flour with your fingers. When the mixture is like breadcrumbs, add the water bit by bit. When the dough comes together and doesn’t stick to your hands, it’s ready.
Roll it out with a rolling pin until it’s very thin. Cut small circles out of the dough (cutting around a small saucer is good for this).
Now you have the dough, add some of the meat mixture and egg into the centre.

This is the bit I got to do!

To close the empanada, dip your finger in water and run it around the outsides of the dough. Fold it in half and press the edges together. To make it hold together, fold the corners and edges in.

Cook them in the oven at 230*C (450*F) for about 8 minutes, until they are golden.

Cycling Wine Tour in Mendoza

Rachel — Wed, 29 May 2013 16:07:42 +0000

Me and bikes don’t really get on. It’s because of a bike and an unfortunate collision of face and ground that one of my front teeth is wonky.

Before yesterday, I couldn’t tell you how long it had been since I’d ridden a bike.

I was slightly nervous about getting back on a bike, but the promise of wine pit stops spurred me on.

That’s right, armed with a map and a flimsy helmet, Jimmy and I embarked on a tour of the wineries in Chacras de Coria. As we left Baccus, the bike rental place, the owner shouted ‘good luck’.

This didn’t fill us with confidence. We soon realised this was probably due to the roads being a lot busier than we expected. It wasn’t quite cycling through countryside and vineyards as I had imagined.

The wineries made up for this though.

Jimmy and I made it to two wineries, but there are a lot more on the route. I think if I’d had any more wine I would have wobbled straight off my bike.

(I became friends with this bike because it’s got a basket. You can’t be angry with a bike with a basket).

Weinert was the first winery we visited. We were taken on a tour by an employee who had a contagious passion for wine. The wine cellars were huge. They store their wine in casks which hold ridiculous quantities of wine. I couldn’t help but think what a great party you could have down there.

We tried three different wines, all of which I liked (I’m not a fussy wine drinker). My favourite was a sauvignon blanc which I was surprised about since I’m usually a red wine drinker.

We bought a bottle of Carrascal red because it was so cheap at less than 5 pounds! If I had a bigger bag and wasn’t travelling for another 10 weeks, I’d have bought loads more to take home with me.

The second place we went to was a family run, organic winery called Pulmary. The tour was much less formal and the wine cellars were littered with interesting artwork.

Again we tried three different wines and, of course, I enjoyed everyone of them. It was good to think that the wine contained 99.99% grapes without preservatives.

I wish wine tasting could be my full time job!

Why I’m Moving Back to South Korea

Rachel — Tue, 28 May 2013 11:38:10 +0000

I’m 99% sure I’m moving back to the land of Kimchi and Soju next year. That is, of course, if I pass the interview to become a teacher again.

Since leaving in February 2012, Jimmy and I have often spoken about the things we miss about living in Korea. I’d be lying if I said everything was perfect, but life was undeniably good.

Towards the end of my two years there I fell into the mindset that a lot of expats find themselves in. I had some negative feelings towards my job and the culture, which is so different to my own.

After being away for a year and half, I can see where I went wrong and can appreciate what a good thing I really had.

I’m almost certain this isn’t just rose-tinted glasses. I honestly think going back is the best thing for Jimmy and I right now.

I don’t know how long we’ll stay: one year, two, three? Who knows?

What I DO know is that I can’t wait!

I’m not excited because of the money I can save by living and working there, although that helps!

I’m excited because I will get to see friends I won’t have seen for 2 years.

This is Wolfy, my friends’ dog. Cutie pie!

I’m excited to have a small amount of stability. Jimmy and I love travelling, but sometimes we crave to stay in one place and become part a community for a little while.

I’m excited to eat the delicious food, that isn’t easy to find in other countries. Kimchi, bibimbap, Korean bbq… the list goes on.

I’m excited to get a cheap gym membership, even though the Korean gym etiquette is slightly different to what I’m used to!

I’m excited to teach. It’s not always easy, and I’m a bit nervous and out of practice, but I’m looking forward it.

Wine O’clock!

Rachel — Mon, 27 May 2013 14:06:36 +0000

My faith in the long distance buses in Argentina has been fully restored.

Even after spending 17 hours on the bus yesterday and this morning, I wouldn’t have complained if we’d had to stay on a bit longer.

I think we must have picked a bad bus company the last time. These are just some of the reasons why this journey was a million times better:

The attendant on the bus was really lovely and helpful.
As well as getting the dinner and breakfast, which we expected, we got a snack box and coffee.
Fruity sweets were brought round three times.
The seats reclined fully and the foot rest lifted up to make a real bed.
We had our own TV with movies.

There was a game of bingo with a bottle of wine as the prize (I didn’t win, but it was fun anyway).
We got a pillow and blanket.
We were asked if the temperature on the bus was okay. Unlike the last time when it was 40*C and we had to just sweat and deal with it.
Dinner was actually quite good.

(sorry about the really bad photo)

We got wine!!!

We’ve just arrived at our hostel in Mendoza (a really big wine region!) and breakfast was still going on so we were told to help ourselves.

Second breakfast? Don’t mind if I do.