and off we are

I spent yesterday lounging in my parents' garden, after work that is, made some silly drawings wizh my sister and went to bed early.
Now I sit in the train to Basel, where I'll meet up with Michael. Tomorrow night at 10pm local time we'll hopefully be in Santa Cruz.
I'll try to share a few words and pictures as soon as possible. But for now, we're off on this adventure of ours.

A Spanish Salad

Time flew by since I last visited this space. Our days were filled with all those minor things we needed to cross off our to do list before leaving (in 10 9 days!!!) and some quality time spent in the loveliest house at Lake Brienz with Michael and a few friends who dropped in for a visit.

Days there are slow, filled with second and third rounds of coffee, short swims in the lake (it is still very cold), walks, late night bonfires and simple cooking.

I am back home already, but this is a salad similar to something we'd make there. I call it a Spanish salad because it is a riff on a salad we had in Nerja, Spain last year. Michael referred to this as the best thing he has eaten in a long time - which might say more about him than about the salad. He is a salad lover for sure. But it makes for a great lunch, he is right on that.

A Spanish Salad

1/2 head of lettuce, cut into bite sized pieces
1/3 cucumber, core removed, sliced thinly
1 small onion, sliced thinly
1/4 - 1/3 cup olives
a handful dried tomatoes in olive oil, coarsely chopped
1 avocado, cut into slices

olive oil
lemon juice (the juice of 1/4 - 1/2 lemon)
salt and pepper

In a large mixing bowl, mix together all the salad ingredients except the avocado. Dress the salad with olive oil and a little lemon juice, then add salt and pepper to taste. Serve on large plates, arranging the avocado slices on top of the salad.

My Packing List

This is the first time in my life that I travel that long and through such different climates, so I was and am a bit nervous about packing (as I have mentioned before). So it does not surprise that I have a very detailed packing list written out for this trip.

There were a few things to consider that made writing that list out a bit more difficult. We travel from Santa Cruz, with its tropical climate up to the Andean Plateau then back down to foggy Lima and a few weeks spent in hot Cuba. So I have to pack everything from thermal underwear to bikinis and sundresses. With the help of the site HerPackingList, I put this list together that I hope does contain everything I'll need during this trip (and I'll come back after the trip and update the list, because I am sure there are a few things that I would do differently then, despite all the planning)

Clothes:
2 pairs of long trousers (one lighter pair and one heavier, probably jeans)
1 pair of shorts
1 pair of leggings (thermal leggings that I plan to wear in bed, in the bus, underneath the long trousers, under the dress I bring, for just about anything)
1-2 dresses (I think one dress that can be worn with the leggings and a sweater and one light sundress)
6 Tshirts
1 thick pullover (I bought a Merino hoodie just for this trip, it helps me stay warm and stays unsmelly for quite a while)
2 lighter sweaters
7 pairs of socks + 7 pairs of underwear
3 bras
1 or 2 bikinis (I am not sure yet, it might be a good idea to have one to wear and one to dry in Cuba)
1 scarf
1 waterproof coat
1 beanie

trekking shoes
flip flops
1 pair of nicer shoes (I pack ballet flats)
1 small nicer bag

Toiletries
deodorant
soap
body cream + face cream
lip balm
wet wipes
shampoo + conditioner (a 2in1 product)
sunscreen (50+)
toothbrush + toothpaste
hair brush
hair ties
razor + foam
(tampons)

Meds
Pain killer (Paracetamol)
Med against travel sickness
strong moscito repellent
fever thermometer
medical tape
meds for treating allergic reactions (a cream to use on moscito bites and antihistamine pills)
Imodium (anti-diarrheal)
Fluimucil (a mucolytic agent)
Malaria stand-by treatment (Malarone)
band aids, desinfectant, 

Other
Camera + charger
iPod + charger
phone + charger
kindle + charger
maybe a netbook
headlamp
small padlock
quick drying towel
small sewing kit
detergent for hand washing
travel pillow (maybe)
pocket knife
water sterilizer tablets
small umbrella
little journal + pens
daypack + backpack
rain cover for backpacks
passport + visa + other documents

Mrs. Garlic Head travels - Packing Madness

My Bach Leap 30 on the right and my Tatonka daypack on the left

Since I'll be traveling for quite a bit this summer, I thought I'd share some of my preparation for this trip and hopefully a few updates while I am on the road. (I won't be cooking much during this time). I hope you like this change of topic here.

One month before the longest and most adventurous trip of my life to date, I find myself in a state of packing madness. In the last few days I packed my backpack no less than three times. Three times.
I have always been an early packer, I like looking at my backpack standing there in my bedroom, all packed and ready to go with the toiletry bag sitting next to it, waiting for the toothbrush and a few other things I'd still need in the few days before leaving. But one month before leaving?
The thing is, I don't really think about packing to get things to already get ready for the trip. I test-pack my backpack because it seems absurd to be able to fit all of my clothing into my 30l Bach backpack. I have never before been a minimalist packer. I think I usually fit somewhere in the middle between minimalist and having luggage that is too heavy for myself to lift.
But this time, everything I need for an almost three month trip to Bolivia, Peru and Cuba fits in one bag, with a few small things in an other backpack that is going to be my daypack. And a few things might end up in my boyfriend's huge backpack, but right now it looks like I don't need any additional space in his backpack, and I also don't only carry enough clothes for tree days. I actually can't quite wrap my head around it right now (Hence the repeated test-packing).

Here is how I fit everything I need into this small(-ish) backpack:

•  Most importantly, this backpack is cleverly built and is easy to pack. If the backpack is awkwardly built, the available space in it might actually seem a lot smaller.
• This is an old trick, but it makes a huge difference: Roll your clothes. They take up a lot less space that way. 
• Leave anything behind that you don't use. Had I decided to take a sleeping bag, I'd have to have a backpack at least 10 l bigger than the one I have now. Similarly, using a kindle instead of books, planning on layering clothes instead of carrying lots of warm clothes that then can't be used in warmer climate can save lots of packing space.

I'll post my definite packing list for this trip later, and a few things to consider when travel to cold and warm climates in one single trip. 

Enchiladas Verdes

 
As I am finally getting my acts together and actually write that short paper that I have been talking about for months, the one little thing left between me and my bachelor's degree, I thought it might be appropriate to tell you about my summer plans.
Between now and September, when I'll head back to university for another two years (for a Master's degree) Michael and I have planned a little adventure. Until now I have barely left the continent, Turkey almost still belongs to Europe in my opinion, but now, we have a plane ticket to Santa Cruz de la Sierra, in Bolivia that is going to take us from Frankfurt in Germany to Bolivia in 30 hours (crazy) with a stopover in Santo Domingo and a 6 hour stay in Panama.
From Santa Cruz we are going to make our way through Bolivia (and I think I am most excited to see the Salar de Uyuni, the salt lakes) and through Peru until we reach Lima sometime at the end of July.
And from there, we'll head to La Habana, to Travel Cuba for a few weeks (and unlike Beyonce and Jay-Z, we can easily enter Cuba. 42 Swiss Francs, a half an hour wait and a little paper that notes my name and passport number was all it took to get a tourist card that will allow us to enter Cuba and stay for a month)

I just one short month we'll already have rented out our apartment and be living at our parent's homes for a few days before we head out and start this adventure. And I am excited and super happy and super nervous about this all. (and I just bought crazy expensive merino leggings that I hope are going to warm my legs throughout Bolivia and Peru and cold busrides in Cuba).
Until I am off, I plan to continue blogging, but between June 6th and August 20th, I won't be around too much.
Right now, since we'll leave our apartment in the hands of a lovely lady who is going to live here while we are away, I am trying to clean out the kitchen a bit. I had this salsa verde around for a while now. I'd bought it on a whim, not quite knowing what I was going to do with it.
You see, Mexican food is not really something Swiss people know a lot about. One part of it is the Mexican restaurants we have here are quite bad, and once you don't eat meat, things get even worse. And then actually finding even Jalapenos is difficult, so it should not be a surprise to you that I have never ever seen a tomatillo in my life. And this salsa verde does not count, really, it being all mashed up in a sauce already. But for now, it has to suffice.

And with the store bought salsa verde, I made enchiladas verdes, something else I never had before. And you have to excuse me if I commited some cardinal sin with these, because I really don't know any better. But authentic or not, I really loved them. The lentils in the red velvet mole are one of the best things I made in quite a while. And since you use lentils instead of beans, they come together really quickly. I bet they would be great served over rice, too. (I actually feel I need to make them again, like tomorrow.)
Maybe our next long trip should be to Mexico, and maybe then I'll actually know my Mexican Food 101. And while I am at it, I probably should read up on Cinco de Mayo? Because other than seeing post all over the web for Cinco de Mayo themed recipes, I don't know a thing about it (And by now it is Nueve de Mayo which really does not has the same ring as Cinco de Mayo)

Enchiladas Verdes
Note: My salsa verde was relativly picante, so the filling itsself is mild, but if you do like it spicy or have a not so spicy salsa verde, feel free to add some heat to the lentils, or jalapeno slices in on top of the mushroom slices)

8 tortillas
1 1/2 cup salsa verde
lentils in red velvet mole (recipe below)
3 big mushrooms
oil
salt and smoked paprika
1/2 cup cashew sour cream or real sour cream
1/4 cup grated cheese

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Prepare a baking dish that fits the tortillas you are using. Spread a cup of the salsa verde in the bottom of the baking dish.
Cut the mushrooms into thick slices, heat a little oil in a skillet and sear the mushroom slices for a minute or two on both sides. Sprinkle with a little salt and smoked paprika while in the skillet, then set aside.
On each tortilla, spread a little sour cream (off center, so you can roll them up better). Spoon some of the lentils over the sour cream, then lay two or three mushroom slices on top. Roll the tortillas up, nestle them close together on the salsa verde, then spread the rest of the salsa over the top, sprinkle with the cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes until heated through and the cheese is slightly browned and bubbling.


Lentils in Red Velvet Mole
adapted from the Black Beans in Red Velvet Mole from Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskovitz

1 onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, slivered
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp ground cumin
3 tbsp tomato paste
1,5 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup lentils
1/4 cup raisins

In a large skillet, heat the oil. Saute the onion until translucent, a few minutes. Turn down the heat and stir in the spices, herbs and the garlic. Saute for another minute or two. Then add the lentils, the tomato paste and a cup of water (You probably need to add more water later, but the amount of water the lentils need until cooked through can vary greatly). Turn the heat up to medium, stir in the cocoa powder, the salt and the raisins and cook until the lentils are soft, about 20 minutes.
Serve the Lentils in the enchiladas above, or over rice.