0 Mailbag Monday: January 25, 2010

One of my favorite parts of your blog was the pictures of all the FOOD! My question is what was your favorite street food on your trip?
Alonso R., Salamanca, Spain

Food was one of our favorite parts of the trip as well! We ate a lot of street food around the globe, but our favorite was the kofta we ate in Cairo. A fresh roll stuffed with super delicious, juicy meatballs sold for about 40 US cents. No one at the little roadside kiosk spoke English, so we just saw what everyone was eating, pointed, and ate whatever they gave us--this was the first of many, many times we used this strategy on the trip, with good results every time. Highly recommended. We were fairly worried about the sanitary (or rather, unsanitary) conditions we witnessed at the stand, but neither of us got sick and even if we had, it might have been worth it.

Honorable mentions go to Moscow's baked potatoes with all the fixings and Curitiba, Brazil's bacon popcorn. Patrick now refuses to eat vegetarian popcorn. And though technically beach food rather than street food, Thailand's chicken satay on Railay Beach was pretty unbelievable. But we'll admit that eating it on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world may have enhanced the flavor.

I have a question about taking the bus from Buenos Aires to Mendoza. Is it necessary to book a ticket ahead of time? I am going to Argentina in March. I plan on getting a cama-suite (overnight) seat, which from what I have read is the most comfortable. I looked at an Omlineas schedule and it looks like the buses run every day from BA. Also, I am a woman traveling solo. Will it be safe on the bus? I have heard positive things about traveling via bus in Argentina.
Rita J., Chicago, IL USA

I'd say it's not necessary to book ahead. When we took the bus from Buenos Aires to Mendoza we bought our tickets on the same day as travel. There are probably four different companies that travel that route, and they all have booths near each other at the bus terminal, so we hopped from one to the next comparing prices and features of their different classes. If you want to find the best deal and have flexibility in your travel days (in case you want to squeeze in an extra tango lesson in Buenos Aires!), wait to buy your tickets until you're there. If you are certain when and in what class you'd like to travel, it couldn't hurt to book ahead.

I don't think you should have any concerns about safety on the bus. In general we found bus travel in Argentina comfortable and convenient.

Send questions for the mailbag to patrinadoestheglobe@gmail.com