Tag Archives: Coca-cola

Europe, Switzerland

Zurich: The Layover

Strawberry Ice Cream
Strawberry Ice Cream snack

If you ever have the option to fly SwissAir, I highly recommend taking the opportunity.  SwissAir has to be one of the most hospitable airlines we have ever used.  AND, the airplane food wasn’t like cardboard covered with vomit.  Even more impressive — meals were served with REAL cutlery and glassware.  Christmas miracle!

Squatzi MadridBoth of us were rather excited to have a layover in Switzerland, rather than Frankfurt again as we have on previous trips.

On our way home from Madrid we ended up in Zurich for the better part of 6 hours.

The ubiquity of Burger King was a running joke for us while we were in Spain.  So, the irony of eating at Burger King while in Switzerland is not lost on me.  Yes, Burger King, at ZRH was the most economical option at 15CHF or approx. $19CDN for a small combo.   A $40 lunch at Burger King for 2 people would not fly here. (Although it would probably help reduce a lot of health issues! The Swiss could be onto something.)

We scouted out some vending machines too!  A 200ml bottle of coke was 5CHF, so roughly $6.40CAD for 200ml.  Our vending machine size is typically 600ml.  So, you’re looking at almost $20 for a bottle of coke, folks!

Even accounting for airport pricing which is usually quite high to begin with…ZRH HAS GOT TO BE THE MOST EXPENSIVE AIRPORT IN THE WORLD!

Happy (cost-effective!) Travels,
~j

(NB: I know, I’m flying somewhere, going on vacation, get some perspective and realize how lucky that is in itself!  I do realize that, and appreciate how extraordinarily lucky I am to be able to explore beyond my hometown.  I get it, but for a budget traveler, Zurich was nuts!)

Peru, South America

El Sabor del Peru

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zucaritasSince we’ve been home, I’ve been asked a lot if we tried any interesting foods in Peru. Well, what do you consider interesting? I like to go to outdoor markets, supermarkets, vending machines, snack stores etc and look at the stuff they’ve got vs the stuff we’ve got. For example, the chicken halves with no packaging, actual chicken colour (not bleached like here), all stacked on top of each other in the meat display counter. Or, the different but same cereals and snacks. Like the Zucaritas to the left. Look familiar? Too bad the name to me looks like “Sugaries” or “The Sugareds”. I don’t know how well a cereal called “Sugaries” would sell in Canada, but at least Kellogg’s is being honest!

inca kolaAnd then we also like to try stuff that is the same everywhere–like McDonalds and Coca Cola. Now, before you go all cuckoo and say, “You go to McDonald’s when you’re in another country, why bother?” It is kind of interesting. There are always different menu items and soft drinks. In Paris they had Peach Iced Tea and in Peru they had Inca Kola.

They also had the McBacon, and the McNifico, and they don’t serve hash browns with breakfast. You could also get a ton of different sauces. Mayonnaise and Ketchup are available in the little pumps at the condiment counter, and so are a several kinds of hot sauces, salsas and in Mexico City, even chopped up jalapeño peppers.
 Colca SourWe did try other things besides McDonalds! We had 3 meals on our Colca Canyon trip. There were all sorts of potato dishes, Alpaca, Lima Beans, Rice, Soups, Chicken, Plantains, etc. We tried everything. (Little tidbit for you–the potato is from Peru; it was the primary food source of the Incans.) At one restaurant we had Colca Sours which is a Peruvian drink made from Cactus Fruit, Lemon/Lime juice, egg whites and some other stuff. They were quite tasty. We had trout from Lake Titicaca on Taquile Island. And, we went to a fast food place in Lima called Bembos. It was sweet because they used REAL ingredients on the chicken burger I got. REAL Edam cheese and a whole wheat bun. Amazing!

NB: Not my photo, and I can't remember where I got it from to give credit.
NB: Not my photo, and I can’t remember where I got it from to give credit.

We didn’t try Cuy. I just couldn’t. Maybe if it was served in a way that didn’t look like a dead rat it would be a little easier to stomach. I didn’t see anyone eating Cuy anywhere we went. But, we did run into some people who had wanted to try it but ended up choosing Alpaca instead as the Cuy was ridiculously expensive. FYI: Many families in the Andean highlands still raise Guinea Pigs for food; they’re also part of the folk lore and medicine of the region.

We also didn’t try this dish that we found in a tented market in Cusco. Do you cook cow snout with or without the teeth?
cow snout
Peru, South America

Where to begin?

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It seems like we have been on vacation for way longer than 11 days! That might sound like a bad thing, but we’ve just done so much in a short period of time. Right now we are sitting on the top floor of a super plush Cruz del Sur bus on the way back to Lima. There is some silly movie playing and the bus steward is offering us Inca Kola and Coca Cola. We are pretty much sitting in recliners and watching TV. But outside the window is either ocean or one tiny little super poor village after another.

Peru has been very odd that way. The contrast between city and village and have and have not is huge. Don’t get me wrong; this country is amazing. The sense of pride the people have here is incredible. The little kids we’ve seen practically run to school (and some on horribly treacherous roads!) And, they’re all in perfect little uniforms too! As if kids are that happy to go to school in Canada, let alone take care of their things as well!

It definitely gets you thinking about what to appreciate.

So in no particular order:

1. Safe, clean water (hot or cold) right out of a tap. There were people carrying water jugs in Cusco. Cusco is a huge city.

2. Bob Barker. There is something to be said for spaying and neutering pets. Cusco was FULL of dogs. Dogs barking all night. Dogs everywhere. Dogs dogs and more dogs.

3. The ability to flush toilet paper. Putting toilet paper in the garbage can beside the toilet is just weird.

4. Food Safe & Refrigeration. I am sure we are anal in Canada, but I can’t get over eggs and meat just being out in the air. Seriously there were eggs on display in the super market register lane yesterday. Like sitting out with the gum and chocolate bars.

5. Building codes and inspectors. Mike Holmes would explode here. There is a tax loop hole here that basically makes you tax exempt if you DON’T finish your house. Nothing is finished on the outside. Imagine all the homes in your neighborhood without siding or stucko or gyprock.

Things that are over rated. (Again in no particular order.)

1. Walk signs. Just cross when there is space. Cars will stop?!?

2. Wet floor signs and orange caution cones. People should be more aware of their surroundings. Here if there is a bump on the side walk there isn’t a watch your step sign, and you can bet that if you fell and hurt yourself you’d get laughed at rather than legally compensated.

3. Pennies. The have ’em here but don’t use them. My change at the supermarket was .08 today and they gave me .10. Yay for rounding!

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Peru, South America

Diamox is not Cola’s best friend

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For altitude sickness we have to take a pill called Diamox. I remember reading the side effects and thinking one was a little odd. Apparently it changes the flavour of carbonated beverages. And not in a good way. Coke takes like rancid tonic water. So nasty! Inca Cola doesn’t have any mystical Diamox killing powers either, but we still had to try it.

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England, Europe, United Kingdom

No one speaks English…

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No one speaks English, but everyone speaks Coca-Cola!

Apparently in England NO ONE speaks English. I’d say about 80% of the people are tourists and the other 20% are non-English or broken-English speaking. And that isn’t only at typical touristy destinations!

Coke logoTo make things even more bizarre, we’ve noticed that Coke has become more multi-cultural as well. Jon had a can with a logo in what we’re guessing is Hebrew (we couldn’t read it to find out the actual country), a can from Poland, and one from England. And, I had 2 from Canada (in the UK of all places) and one from Northern Ireland. The highest price we saw for a Coke was 4€ , so about $6 for a 500ml bottle..not even 600ml. At that price we were not buying!

Peach Iced TeaIn France, where our cola addiction was cheapest to feed, Diet Coke became Coca-Cola Light. I sure wasn’t drinking coke the whole while because EVERYWHERE had Lipton Peach Iced Tea as the Iced Tea of choice–vending machines, fast food places, street vendors. It was an Iced Tea drinker’s paradise! That 1.5L bottle was my last little souvenir from Paris. Delicious.  Peach=my favourite!

While we’re on the topic of beverages…water, normal, non-fizzy water was SUPER cheap at the grocery stores. We got a 1.5L bottle for 0.58€. That is barely over a dollar. Here it would have been easily $3. Ridiculous!

ps: I was brave and drank tap water in almost every city.