Blog — The Tipsy Gypsies

Aside from its rich culture and architecture, Siem Reap has one of the best drinking scenes in South East Asia. The most famous (or infamous) place to get drinks in Siem Reap is of course, Pub Street. Pub Street is exactly what it sounds like, a street full of pubs, but also some restaurants and massage parlors. Most of the bars on Pub Street are known for their cheap buckets, a mix of terrible bottom shelf alcohol and your choice of soda. A 20 year old backpackers paradise. Buckets are a fun and fast way to get drunk but sometimes you might want something a little more sophisticated. Every bar on Pub Street is offering the “best happy hour” in town and it can be hard to decided where to go. 

So we did the work. We drank A LOT. The Tipsy Gypsies got completely drunk (again), and although Pub Street is great, we also discovered a lot outside its neon glow. Therefor we’ve created this list of our favorite bars in Siem Reap, on and beyond Pub Street.

“You see we never ever drink

Nice and easy

We always DRINK nice and hard

We started the night nice and easy but finished it hard”

(thanks Tina Turner “Proud Mary”)

Miss Wong

One of our favorites, Miss Wong has the best central location. It is situated in a small alley, just few steps away from the madness of the Pub Street, which is way more relaxing and classy.  Miss Wong is well know amongst locals and tourists, and it is well worth the visit not only for drinks but also the elegant atmosphere.  

We arrived at Miss Wong around 6pm, just when the bar opened and things were just coming to life. We were immediately impressed by the gorgeous interior: high ceilings, crimson red walls, glowing lanterns hanging off the ceilings, lots of paintings and moody lighting. This place is sexy! There were so many great details in this bar and our eyes were constantly traveling up and down the walls discovering new trinkets.

We were greeted by the super cool owner of the bar Dean, who is an expat from New Zealand and has been living in Cambodia for the last 12 years. Dean opened and designed the bar himself 8 years ago. The design is based on a paining that the owner’s grandmother had in her home back in New Zealand. The painting is of Miss Wong, a beautiful, mysterious woman painted by a Russian artist, who became famous for his prints of Chinese ladies he painted. The painting was a great inspiration for an asian theme speakeasy and it also reminded him of his home.

When Miss Wong opened the idea was to offer something different from the popular and cheap buckets of alcohol. The owner wanted to serve a top shelve alcohol to his clients, but 8 years ago that was a problem in Siem Reap. The better quality liquor had to be imported and was very expensive. That is why he decided to infuse his his own alcohol. Dean’s background is in biochemistry, and when you taste his infused vodkas you can tell that he knows his craft. The infused vodkas, also used in mixed drinks, are very unique flavors like Tom Yum (yes the famous Thai Soup), cardamon or pepper. Vodka has never tasted better!

The Tipsy Gypsies recommend:

Mixed drinks:

Jen Queens Ang-Pau

Jen Queen Year of the Cocktail

Apricot & Kaffir Lime Martini

Spiced Bloody Mary

The Elbow

Shots:

Pepper infused vodka

cardamon rose gin

Tom Yum Gin (so pretty much all of them)

They also serve delicious appetizers. Pictured below: dim sum

Georges Rhumerie

This place is all about rum, but not just any rum. This rum is made in house and to make it even better, it’s all infused. This place is a MUST try in Siem Reap!

We arrived to Georges Rhumerie by rickshaw around 8pm and the place was not very busy. Perhaps because G.R  is located a bit “outside” of the tourist zone (aka away from Pub Street), and is why this place is not super crowded. If you want to hang out with some awesome expats and stay away from the crazy drunken tourists of Pub Street, this bar is great! The rickshaw ride was only $3 and it was totally worth the cruise outside downtown. Also, don’t worry about getting back to your hotel. They have trusted rickshaw drivers waiting outside so when the bar is finally closed, they will help you get home safely. And after this journey through rum heaven, we definitely needed some assistance getting back.

We sat at the outdoor bar area, which is very casual, but if you need AC they also have an indoor restaurant. The relaxed atmosphere, very friendly bartenders, who joke around and talk with the customers is probably why so many expats (and us), love to hang out here. 

Our bartender served us a flight of rum shots to start with. The flight was 10 different infused rums, and if you think we can tell you what was our favorite, we would have to say all of them! We definitely recommend this sampling experience as all of the flavors are wonderfully unique.

We desperately needed to eat something after our “little” sampler of rums, so we ordered a delicious appetizers plate of samoussa, bouchon, baida and crackers with home-made delicious jams! Trust us, you will want to snack on something while you’re sipping on one of their many delicious concoctions. The snacks were well paired with the drinks and we never thought that jam and crackers would go so well with rum, but we swear it’s worth it!

We don’t know when to say no to alcohol, and so when our bartender suggested that we try some of their cocktails we ordered not one, but two: Bokator and George’s Grog, both very delicious, refreshing and light. 

Our master bartender, Houern, who was entertaining us the whole night told us that the staff likes to create their own drinks, and if they are popular they end up on the menu. He mixed us his latest creation, which was not yet listed on the menu, and we hope it has since been added because it was absolutely fantastic. It was hands down one of the best cocktails we’ve ever tasted. He called it a “Svay” or “Mango cocktail” ( ingredients: mango rum, mango juice, mint syrup, lime juice, milk). If you visit Georges you must try this cocktail!

Park Hyatt

The Park Hyatt is probably the most gorgeous hotel in Siem Reap, and we had the privilege of staying with them. We highly recommend that you go to and splurge at least one night with them and have a drink either on their patio surrounded by fire pits, enjoying a traditional dance performance (check schedule) or you can sip a cocktail in their gorgeous ‘living room” lounge, decorated with pinks sofas, fresh lotus flowers, dimmed lights and soft music playing in the background. The design alone is worth the $10 plus drinks.

If you time your visit right, the traditional Cambodian dance performance is absolutely spectacular. Just sit in the patio and enjoy your drink and the show.

The Tipsy Gypsies recommend:

New York Sour

 Singapore Sling

Hemingways Diary

Victoria Angkor

This hotel has a great pool and if the day is hot, which is almost always the case in Siem Reap, there is no better way to cool down than by the pool while sipping on ice cold drinks. The best time to go is for brunch on the patio, overlooking the pool area or directly by the pool under umbrellas. There is also a bar inside the hotel and their drinks are very good, but there isn’t much night life going on. 

The Tipsy Gypsies recommend:

Frozen Coconut Mojito

Passion Daiquiri

Mango “Caviar” Fizz

Angkor What?

Did we mention the buckets? Angkor What? is a very popular, if not the most popular bar in Siem Reap and it would be wrong not to mention it. It was probably our least favorite bar because it’s a bit loud. Every time we went there to meet with friends they were blasting obnoxious music. We are not saying they should change what they are doing, just keep this is mind. If you are planning on conversing with friends at this bar, forget about it. But if you want to get some cheap buckets and dance your ankles off, this is the right place for you. Angkor What? is located on Pub Street and with it’s grungy design and cheap drinks, it obviously attracts a younger crowd. The buckets are large and strong so be prepared to get shit faced or make some friends to share it with. And lastly, don’t wear anything white as all those “invisible” stains will be shinning bright in their black lights. 

“The more I drink, the better I write and the more I write the better I drink.”

Disclaimer: We make sure to have at least few drinks before we start to write any bar or drink reviews! Because who wants to write about drinking when you’re sober?

Cheers!

Before coming to Laos we didn’t know where to go or what to do and we certainly didn’t plan to stay as long as we did. In fact, we almost skipped Laos entirely because despite the many blog posts we researched in advance, we couldn’t get a clear sense of why we should visit or what makes it so different from Cambodia or Vietnam.

Thank god we didn’t skip it because it turned out to be our favorite country so far in South East Asia. Thailand is beautiful but it’s extremely developed, westernized and crowded. Cambodia is also wonderful but is also growing quickly in western influence and development. 

Laos is like the gentler, softer sister of the other SE Asia countries. It is quiet, empty, tranquil and absolutely stunning. Upon arrival you instantly notice the hospitality of the local people, who constantly greet you in their local language saying with a smile, “Sabaidee!” Laos is full of natural beauty such as waterfalls, natural swimming pools, mountains and rice patties surrounded by small villages.

Although Laos is technically a communist country, people are allowed to own private businesses and practice religion. It seems as if life is moving at a slower pace here and that is what we loved the most about Laos. And did we mention the food?! Our favorite in SE Asia so far. 

Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang is a UNESCO world heritage site. It’s a joy walking around and admiring the well preserved architecture and religious sites. Even though Luang Prabang is a famous tourist destination, it hasn’t lost its charm. The streets are dotted with young monks walking around in their orange robes, bathing in the river and chanting in the many temples throughout the city. The monks are highly respected by the locals and every morning at sunrise the locals gather on a street for Alms, a giving ceremony. Alms is an offering of food for the monks, typically rice and fruit. You can participate in the ceremony as long as you a respectful, which unfortunately many tourist are not. If you want to take a photo please do it quietly, from a distance and without flash!

Daily life in the village seems to be very laid back.  It’s a place where you can truly enjoy being a visitor because you don’t have to worry about being harassed by vendors trying to sell you anything. The city is on a curfew to respect the early rise of the monks, and after midnight, night life is non-existent.

This quaint village is situated by the mighty Mekong and the smaller Nam Khan river. The rivers and the surrounding mountains make this village absolutely stunning. On any day you will see the locals and tourists swimming in the river or watching the sunset.

Laos cuisine is amazing! They are especially famous for their love of sticky rice. Our favorite were the noodle soups, which come with plenty of fresh herbs, lettuce and other veggies. It sounds weird to put lettuce in a bowl of hot soup, but trust us, there is nothing better!

Besides the traditional food, you can also find tasty western dishes here. Laos was a French colony and the baguettes and pastries in Luang Prabang taste just like in France.

Another joy of the French influence are the Bahn Mi-like Laos sandwiches, which are everywhere and absolutely worth trying!

The night market in Luang Prabang is a fun place to visit and try some local cuisine. There are plenty of meats on sticks, grilled fish, sandwiches and noodle dishes. In our opinion the food at the night market wasn’t the freshest. We saw the vendors packing all the meats after hours of sitting on a table, and placing in plastic bags to be sold the next day. We were actually shocked that we didn’t get sick.

The Tipsy Gypsies Tip: Want the freshest street food? Look outside the night markets and you will find they are cooking smaller, fresher portions, rather than creating mountains of food (which they could never sell in one night) to impress tourists. 

If you want to get out of town you can hire a tuk tuk, taxi or rent scooters and drive 30km outside to see the incredible Kuang Si Falls. This place is no secret, and if you want to enjoy swimming in the fresh pools of water you should be there as soon as it opens. We got there about 9 am and there were few other people around, but by noon it was full of tourists and locals.

The Tipsy Gypsies Tip: We highly recommend you go by scooter as you can create your own schedule when visiting Kuang Si Falls. It only costs a little more but the freedom is totally worth it. We read a lot of blogs saying the road and ride out to the falls was dangerous but we found that to be completely untrue.

There are multiple waterfalls and the higher you are willing to hike up the stream, the less people you will see. The water is cool, and it’s very hard not to jump into the turquoise water. But don’t worry, you can!

There is also a small bear sanctuary on the way to the waterfalls. Most of these bears have been rescued from poachers, who either planned to illegally sell them as pets or kill them. One of the bears was missing a paw, but it was still very playful. The bears played together, cooled off in the pools of water and it was very entertaining to watch them.

Also make sure to stop at the small UXO Museum, which you can read more about here (COMING SOON). There are several of these museums in Laos so if you don’t go to this one make sure you stop at one of the others as it’s really eye opening and important to learn about the brutal history these people have survived and the problems they still deal with today.

Nong Khiaw

Nong Khiaw is a tiny village a few hours north from Luang Prabang. This place used to be a real off the beaten track place, but it is getting more popular every day. You can start to see the foot print tourism is leaving on this town with numerous restaurants and guest houses popping up.  

The Tipsy Gypsies Tip: We scored an awesome river view bungalow for $9 by staying a 10 minute walk outside the main town. There is a small dirt road near the school and down by the river are a handful of awesome cheap bungalows. 

There is a nice but strenuous hike you can do to see a spectacular view of the valley and the town below but please, don’t go in the middle of the day like we did! It was so hot we barely made it to the top. The trailhead starts about 50 meters past Temple of Ban Sop Houn.

Once you reach the top you are rewarded with a nice viewing hut that offers some shade and even a hammock!

Vang Vieng

We are only going to mention this town briefly as it’s the one place in Laos we really didn’t like. And why? Because it was one the town most ruined and destroyed by western influence. Viang Vieng was famous for many years as an insane, year round, Spring Break experience for young backpackers. Eventually it got so bad that backpackers were dying, doing stupid things that stupid backpackers do. So the government eventually shut everything down and now there are only a few bars left. We read the town has since changed and maybe it has, but to us it still reeked of its previous heyday and although there are some nice day trips you can do, we think the town is completely worth skipping.

The Tipsy Gypsies Tip: If you MUST go to Vang Vieng, you might as well score some free drinks. We got pretty hammered completely for FREE thanks to the extremely competitive happy hours, (which is basically free drinks from 6-8) that the few bars in town offer to try and lure you in. 

Thakhek and the Thakhek Loop

This town is located between Vientiane and 4000 Islands. The town itself doesn’t have much to offer but it is a must stop for the awesome Thakhek Loop which you can read in detail about here. 

4000 Islands

Don Det is located at 4000 Islands and just getting there was an adventure. We first took an overnight bus that dropped us in the middle of nowhere at 3am where we had to wait until sunrise, and then we traveled for another hour by a small boat to get there. The island itself is lovely. You can do some kayaking, biking, river tubing and read a book in hammocks overlooking the river.

The Tipsy Gypsies Tip: Internet in Don Det sucks but if you seek out the restaurant/café with the fewest customers, you’re much more likely to get a faster connection. 

We visited Don Det in the middle of March, which was good and bad. March is the hottest month in Laos and the heat was hard to deal with, but on a positive note, the island was empty and rooms were cheap. 

If you’ve never been to South East Asia, it’s easy to assume that all these neighboring countries are going to be very much alike. But as we continue to make our way through the region, we are quickly learning and loving how different they all are. And just because we said earlier, that Thailand and Cambodia are more developed, it doesn’t meant they aren’t worth visiting as well. But again, what set Laos apart, and what made us fall in love, was the lack of urgency. In a world that is dominated by the aggressive pursuit of profits and status, the people of Laos, in the city AND the villages, seemed untroubled by these pursuits. It’s truly the land of “it’s nap time”, when and where ever you want! Restaurants and stores almost always had an employee or two dozing in a corner somewhere.

And although we fell in love with the simplicity and slowness of Laos, we are also well aware of the countries tragic past, and the struggles it deals with today regarding it’s extremely corrupt government and massive levels of poverty. 

Despite these hurdles, we saw nothing but smiles as we drove through village after village in the countryside. And although we hope for a more honest government and more access to education, healthcare and vital services for it’s people, we hope they never forget that it’s always the right time to sit back, relax, and take a nap. 

Ever since the movie “Pirates of the Caribbean” was released rum has become our favorite alcohol. Ok, we don’t discriminate on any alcohol (except for you Mr. Wine Cooler!), but rum is really freaking good. We have always associated rum with tropical islands and what we didn’t know is that you can find an exceptional rum in Laos. Rum is made from sugar cane, and Laos is covered with sugar cane fields, which makes this country a perfect environment for rum production. On our recent trip to Luang Prabang, the UNESCO heritage village, we tried LAODI, a rum made in Laos by a Japanese man.

According to their website, what makes LAODI rum special is the fresh water from the Mekong river, which irrigates the land where their sugar cane grows. Only 3% of rum production comes from pure sugar cane, which makes LAODI a very small distillery with a unique taste. They also claim that because unlike other commercial rum, which is made with molasses, their rum won’t give you a nasty hangover, which we have, um… thoroughly tested and can confirm is true. 

We first learned of LAODI rum at the Luang Prabang night market, where you can have a free tasting. The sales lady kept pouring generous shots of every rum and we left buying two of their classic bottles of rum: BROWN and WHITE. Our favorite, however was their COCONUT flavored rum. It is tasty just to sip on and you can imagine that it would the best liquor to add to any “beach/summer” inspired cocktail with pineapple or milk. Other flavors of infused rum include: passionfruit, sugarcane, coffee and plum.

Although Laos is a very beautiful, laid back country with a unique culture and some of the best foods we have tasted, if that doesn’t get you excited, just know that LAODI rum is reason enough to visit.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have a chance to go to the distillery, but we have heard that the tour is great. If you are in the area here, is the address:

Lao Agro Organic Industries Limited

47kms of the National Road No. 13

Naxone Village, Pak Ngum District, Vientiane Capital, Laos

Tel: +856 20 2829 8789 / +856 20 5233 9920

Mail: [email protected]

GPS: 18°04’28.8″N 102°58’01.0″E

www.facebook.com/rhumlaodi

When we arrived in Siem Reap after 12 hours of travel from Laos, we were tired, hot and sweaty. Luckily for us, we were about to enter the garden of eden. 

We had come to Siem Reap to celebrate and witness the Khmer New Year so we needed to get refreshed and ready to party! After a month on the road in Laos, we decided to pamper ourselves with a pre New Years rest at the Victoria Angkor, located in the heart of Siem Reap. The hotel is conveniently located near the famous Pub street, but far enough from it to escape the traffic and bustling streets of the city.

When we arrived, we were greeted with their delicious welcome drink, made with sugar cane juice and served in a bamboo cup with a bamboo straw. We later learned the hotel management makes a conscious effort to minimize the waste they produce so they replaced plastic straws, which are terrible for the environment, with a natural bamboo straw. The drink was delicious and refreshing and we liked it so much, that we requested it a few more times. We also recieved chilled towels soaked in jasmine water to cool ourselves off as we checked in. That was a welcome well done and right away we fell in love with this hotel.

Although only about a decade old, the hotel has been designed in a 1930’s french colonial style and the esthetic perfectly reflects the nostalgia and romantic vibe of that era.

For the next few days we had the fortune of staying in one of their beautiful Maharaja suites. We laughed when we walked into the room because we had just spent almost 6 months in India and the suite was decorated accordingly with Indian flavors and in some ways, felt like home. Of course the hotel management didn’t know that when they put us in this suite, but somehow we just can’t escape India.

The suite was huge: living room, master bedroom, dressing den and a specious bathroom.  The large living room was full of light with it’s windows facing the Royal Park, and it was our favorite spot to read the daily news while sipping on coffee or one of their delicious cocktails. Our favorite design detail from the living room was the french windows with louvers looking into the garden.

The bedroom was clearly built for royalty. Whether you’ve had a long flight or have been on the road for while, nothing feels better than falling on a king size bed full of soft pillows and letting all the stress melt away.

Every day, after we came back to our room our bedsheets were perfectly dressed down with the blankets folded back, the slippers and robes were laid out and they even left delicious chocolate treats for extra sweet dreams. We loved their attention to details and we definitely felt spoiled.

The hotel has the most amazing international breakfast buffet we’ve ever had. The buffet was huge, and it filled two rooms! You can choose between asian food or a western breakfast (or both!) with fresh pastries and breads from their bakery. Having been away from home so long, we couldn’t pass on the french cheese, eggs, cured meats and fresh smoothies. To make the mornings even more jolly they also served bottomless mimosas with your choice of fresh fruit. Ahh Europeans know how to live!

In the morning, before this huge breakfast we actually joined a free yoga class in the park across the street. The yoga instructor was a young Cambodian girl, and she was great at correcting your posture. It was fantastic! If you don’t like yoga or it is too hot for you, they also have a small AC gym near the pool, which was empty most of the time.

Of course, our favorite was the bar or more precisely the drinks they serve at the Victoria Angkor. The menu constantly changes but all the drinks are delicious and they are continually making new cocktails you can’t get anywhere else.

Here are our two favorites: Passion Fruit Daiquiri and Mango Caviar Fizz.

The Khmer new Year is the biggest holiday in Cambodia. Before we hit the street scene, we and other guests were invited to join and participate in the local games in the hotel’s courtyard. Although most of us were shy at first to dance to the most popular Cambodian hits of the years, after a few minutes of watching the fun from a distance, we joined the party. Oh and did we mention the water and baby powder? Yeah the cheeky Cambodians first spray you with water and then they throw baby powder on you. It was so much fun and gave us a great taste of what to expect later on the streets, which you can read about here.

What really made the Victoria Angkor great, wasn’t just their attention to detail in creating a truly luxurious yet at the same time, unpretentious experience, but the way they made you feel a part of the family, and at home. And no, it wasn’t just because we were there to review them. We saw every guest being treated with the same sense of local hospitality; and that leaves you with an experience you’ll always remember.

Specials thanks to Cedric & Patric and their wonderful staff for hosting our stay at the Victoria Angkor. Our opinions regarding our stay are completely our own. 

Cheers! 

This article was originally a guest published feature but we are now sharing on our blog as well. 

When we first arrived in India, a simple task of crossing a busy street seemed impossible. Freeways and roads are full of not only vehicles and pedestrians but also wild animals like pigs and the famous holy cows. The most convenient and exciting form of transportation in India is of course the “fast” and furious auto rickshaw. These little 3 wheelers can drive almost anywhere.  In India, everyone and everything is moving in different directions and many times, insanely, against the flow of traffic. It’s nuts and there are no rules, but somehow this functioning chaos works.

The first time we had to cross a street in India, we just tagged along and followed a group of locals. When they stopped, we stopped, and when they walked, we walked. We observed, learned and eventually we became experts in street walking. Trust us, it is a skill and you must learn it to survive here. This is how to cross a street in India. There might be some slight variations depending on weather conditions, your teacher, or your fitness ability but it goes something like this:

One: Quickly stick out your hand towards the oncoming vehicle that might look like they will kill you, signaling, “stop mother f$*ckers, I am trying to get to the samosa stand across the street!”

Two: When you see a small gap between moving cars you mustn’t hesitate. Continue with step one and go for it. Hopefully you’ll make it and the samosa will be hot and delicious. Mission accomplished!

Soon after we got comfortable with walking like locals, we discovered the fun of riding in a rickshaw. In fact, we had so much fun that we decided to buy and drive our own rickshaw. Yes, the idea was absolutely nuts but we wanted to try it and it sounded like a lot of fun doing a road trip across India in our own rickshaw.

The only way you can understand what it’s like driving a rickshaw in India, is if you’ve ever played a car racing video game. The goal of the Rickshaw Game is to avoid various obstacles on the road such as humans, animals, vehicles, crater size potholes and giant rocks in the middle of the road etc. You do that to get from point A to B without hitting anybody or getting hit. You will never know when some object will suddenly try to “attack” you, so knowing the rules of the game is important. And the rules are, there are no rules! Constant honking helps to make the objects stay out of your way and therefor decrease your travel time and increase your chances of winning the game, aka reaching your destination.

After a few months as passengers and studying professional rickshaw drivers, we decided we were ready to “take the controller”. We didn’t have a real plan, but we figured we would drive as far as we could and have fun along the way. We decided on a general direction and we started driving north from Kerala, towards Rajasthan.

Our first day of the journey, we set an ambitious goal to drive about 150 km from Cochin to Munnar. This isn’t a long distance but the locals warned us about narrow and steep roads. We almost reconsidered but we felt strongly about driving to the most famous tea region in India. Rickshaws are known for easy breakdowns so after hearing about the treacherous roads we prepared ourselves mentally and hoped for the best.

In the morning, right up until our departure we still didn’t feel confident about our driving skills or how far we would make it. Starting our rickshaw was never easy, but on the morning of our launch, she purred to life right away telling us everything was going to be okay.

Our first challenge was boarding a ferry. The ferry made you back on and getting our rickshaw into reverse wasn’t the easiest thing to do. The engine died a few time before we were able to board, which was extremely embarrassing because EVERYBODY kept starting at us. When Indians stare they have no shame and they won’t look away when you give them stink eye or try to stare back.  There is even a term used here by tourists called ‘the Indian stare”. This was going to be something we would have to get used to while driving across India.

Once we started driving it wasn’t so bad. One thing we wanted to avoid at all costs were major highways. (yes, highways exist in India). We decided to take the road suggested by our local friend but unfortunately we ended up on the biggest highway from Cochin to Munnar. The freeway was congested with big trucks and was not what we pictured as a fun road trip. We think our average speed must have been about 30-35km/h, but we can’t say for sure because the speedometer was broken. We also almost ran a red light on the biggest intersection on the freeway. In our 4 months of traveling in India we hadn’t seen any intersections with working lights or people obeying them until then. We knew something was wrong because all the cars were slowing down while we kept passing them. This caused severe hyperventilation and lots of cursing as we skidded to a stop in the nick of time.

After a few hours, we finally veered off to a smaller, more picturesque road and we felt like we were finally on a road trip.  We stopped consistently every 50 km, making sure we didn’t overheat the old engine and also every time we saw fresh coconuts or cold beers (a privilege for passengers only). As we approached the mountains, the views got more beautiful but the roads began to rise and our little rickshaw had to work a lot harder. Our poor rickshaw moaned and cursed as we constantly grinded the gears on the climb up. We even stalled a few times. And let us tell you, it is not easy to get a fully loaded rickshaw with an engine the size of a lawn mower moving again from a complete stand still on a 45 degree incline. Most of the time we had to roll down to the bottom of the hill and try again.

About 20km from our destination, while driving up a big hill the engine started making a terrible sound, and even after switching it off and taking the key out it wouldn’t stop screaming. We started to panic thinking it might catch on fire or worse. We took our backpacks out of the back as fast as we could, hoping that the whole thing wouldn’t explode. Luckily, the engine finally died and we rolled it to a safe spot. It turned out that we were driving on a nearly empty tank and the clutch was somehow temporarily jammed and after the engine cooled off, we refilled it and continued our journey towards Munnar.

The few times we passed any police on the side of the road, by the time they realized that two tourists were driving past them in a crazy painted rickshaw it was too late for them to stop us. We just waved and hoped they were not able to chase us.

Finally after a full day of driving, we reached Munnar without any serious mechanical issues. The weather was much cooler since we were at a higher altitude and after finding a cheap hotel and eating some amazing street food, we were tired and ready for a cold beer and bed.

Cheers!!

To read the rest of our story you can continue the journey here!

The Tipsy Gypsies Cruisin’. Illustrated and animated by Felix Roos.

It was nearly Christmas Eve and we were four months into our journey through India. We had arrived in southern India in the state of Kerala, famous for its backwaters and we had reached the point in our trip where we felt like we’d seen enough temples, tombs and forts for a lifetime. We had run out of the “Top 10” same (bullshit) things to do and we needed some serious balance of sightseeing and real adventure. So after much discussion, we decided to ask Santa for a rickshaw. This is the story of how we managed to explore nearly half the length of India in a rickshaw and not kill ourselves while doing it. 

After a few days of frantically trying to buy a rickshaw and an additional 5 days of finalizing the paperwork, fixing major mechanical issues and pimping our rickshaw, we were finally ready to leave Kochi on new years and start our wild road trip. We had no plan of how far to drive or where, so we just picked a direction and started driving north. These are our favorite places that we visited in our rickshaw.

Alleppey, Kerala

This is the famous backwaters country of South India. You can rent a houseboat for few hours and cruise around or sleep on the boat, which is what we did and highly recommend it. If you show up last minute during the middle of the week or off season, you can negotiate a pretty decent price for an overnight stay.

These traditional wooden houseboats with thatched roofs, were traditionally used to transport various materials and people. It was also the fastest way of transportation between the 5 lakes connected by canals. Nowadays the house boats are a big hit and a big tourist attraction. Staying overnight on a houseboat can get quite pricey, especially during the high season. Because we booked same day, we paid about 7,000 rupees for the whole boat, which is extremely cheap since it was around the holidays. Typically these boats cost anywhere from 15,000 to 50,000 per night.

We left the main harbor around 3pm to cruise and watch the sunset on the backwater. The boat was very comfortable and the crew was extremely nice and cooked us amazing Kerala style food. At night the boat parked on a quiet bank of the backwaters, far from the other boats we watched the stars and drank beers until the stars got blurry. 

In the morning we enjoyed a few more hours watching the sunrise, drinking hot chai and eating spicy Kerala style breakfast with eggs, appam (coconut pancakes), sambar (vegetable and lentil stew) and fruit.

Munnar, Kerala

Munnar is absolutely breathtaking and its hills are covered with vibrant tea plants. Many of the tea plantations in Munnar were started by the British, who loved this region for it’s cool climate and natural beauty.

A lot of the Indian tea is still produced here. Every time we drove through the hills we could hear the clipping sound of the fresh tea being cut. It also smells incredible! 

Munnar is situated in the Western Ghants mountain range with an altitude of 1,600 meters (5,200 ft), so getting there in the rickshaw was not easy, but it was absolutely worth it. We spent 2 days driving around the tea plantations and visiting the hill stations. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find any plantations that offered tea tastings, which was odd, but if you want to taste the regional tea you can visit the Munnar Tea Museum.

Karnataka

Not many people know that the state of Karnataka has some of the most beautiful beaches in India. We were shocked how pristine and remote the beaches were here. This is also probably the only place in India where the beaches have white sand. This coastline is not developed and you can only see small local huts near the beach and there are not many places to stay near the beach We found one hotel with a beach view near Mattu village, but the security guard turned us away. We returned to the hotel the next day and insisted on speaking to the manager. Eventually the manager told us the same thing, that they were booked and they didn’t have any future available dates. It was a very strange response. Perhaps we weren’t welcome because of our unusual form of transportation and we didn’t meet their typical guest profile. We will never know. Honestely it was for the best because we would never stay in a place that is so snobbish.

When we asked the locals on the road about some simple guest houses they mentioned one but we couldn’t find it. The nearby town Udupai (about 15km away), has plenty of accommodations though. We slept there and we hung out on the beach for few hours the next morning before we left

One day we would love to come back to Karnataka with a tent and sleep on the beach near Mattu.

Our favorite area was the stretch from Kapu till the end of the peninsula. The beaches on the peninsula are absolutely amazing and unlike anywhere else you will see in India!

Goa

Goa was probably the easiest place for us to drive our rickshaw. This state is one of the busiest tourist destinations in India and at the same time is very laid back. Most of people who live or work here are in the tourist industry, therefore, are accustomed to western habits like the love of strong coffee, eating pizza, women in bikinis or women driving a rickshaw for that matter. Just kidding about the women driving rickshaw, that still totally freaked everybody out.

 We drove through many towns in Goa and here some of the places that we liked the most.

Palolem: A Hippy’s Paradise

Palolem seems to attract mostly young hippy types and for some reason lots of Israelis. Tourists come here for yoga and spiritual trainings, to master fire dancing and hula-hoop skills. Palolem is one of the most westernized small towns in India that we have visited. You can actually eat an authentic pizza here at Magic Italy restaurant, drink perfectly brewed coffee, that has not been diluted and sweetened with 10 spoons of sugar, from Mika Mocha. The beach in Palolem is very popular during the day with people trying to sell you boat rides and at night the atmosphere is quite charming with candle lit tables on the sand and fresh seafood being grilled. With no shortage of places to eat on the beach, we always tried to time our dinner around sunset so we could take in the amazing view. 

Agonda: the Holly Cow beach

Agonda is the smaller and more quiet sister of Palolem. There are a few decent restaurants on the main road and the guest houses seem to be the cheapest here. We rented a bungalow, on the beach for 800 rupees/12 USD. The beaches although less crowded and relaxing are full of cow shit, so be careful where you walk, especially at night. If you want something even more remote, visit the nearby Cola beach, which is gorgeous.

Morjim: a Russian Paradise

We actually like Morjim a lot mostly because the wide and well kept beaches and the sunsets are incredible!

Although this area used to be known as a heavy party town, it seems like things have changed these days. We had a relaxing stay at Xaviers with their restaurant and great food situated right on the beach (the service is a bit slow, but the food was worth the wait). At Xavier’s, they also screen movies every night, but in Russian. Morjim is a popular tourist destination for many Russians and almost everything has been translated into Russian including menus in the restaurants and movies, which have a Russian voice over. We heard some rumors from the locals that a while ago this town was owned by the Russian mafia. It has since changed and nowadays you will come across many Indian and western tourists who don’t know how to order from a Russian menu.

Malvan, Maharastra

Malvan has a really special place in our hearts. We first came to this town before we started the rickshaw road trip and we fell in love with it’s people and atmosphere. We’ve made some very good friends, ate some amazing food and so we had to come back for more.

Unlike touristy Goa, the beaches in Malvan are almost empty. You wont find any obnoxious, loud bars on the beach here, but you are welcome to chill with a cold brew. 

Malvan is known for it’s unique blend of spices and the seafood is great here. This town has the best Thali restaurant that we have tasted in all of India.  The name of the restaurant is Love kick and it is run by the Kirtane family. We ate there everyday. The Veg Thali came with a fresh green leafy salad mixed with raw coconut, chana with a unique mix of coconut, aloo (potatoes) mixed with cabbage and a sol curry, which is to die for! Sol curry, also known as Solkadi, is a popular Konkani curry made from coconut and kokum fruit. It is a staple of Malvan, eaten with rice or drank after a meal. It’s mildly sour flavor and light texture not only tasted delicious but it helps your mouth cool off from the spices and also helps with digestion. So many benefits from one fruit!

If you are polite when you arrive, the owner of the Love Kick restaurant will help you with a secret BYOB section. You might have to sit in the VIP room, aka the back of the house, so nobody sees you drinking. Also please don’t embarrass us by asking for a fork. Make sure you eat your Thali like it was meant to be eaten, with your hands!

Besides the food and beaches in Malvan, you can visit the Sindhudurg Fort by a small boat, buy some fresh fish from the market in the early morning, and make sure you try the local drink made from coconuts called Madi.

But most importantly, make sure you make some friends. The Malvan people are some of the best we have ever met! 

If you come to Malvan we INSIST you stay at Vicky’s Guest House. We can’t recommend this place enough. The whole Fernandez family is so lovely and Vicky who runs the guesthouse, is the best unofficial guide in town. He will give you many tips and will go out of his way to make sure you are a satisfied customer. 

Malvan was our last stop on the rickshaw road trip. We drove about 1,500 km and we covered 4 states in two weeks. We originally planned to drive all the way to Rajasthan but at the end we had to change our travel plans and we left our rickshaw with a friend in Malvan, who helped us sell it to a local who will use it for his business. The small profit was then distributed amongst our friends who helped us along the way.

Final Thoughts

Buying and driving the rickshaw wasn’t just fun, it was also educational and eye opening. Traveling at a top speed of 40km/hr on mostly backroads gives you a perspective of India you can’t get in any other way. It doesn’t matter if you go by train, bus or car, you’re moving too fast. And there is no better ice breaker than a crazy looking rickshaw to make new friends in every town you go.

But like many things in India, driving a rickshaw can be quite dangerous. They are slow, unreliable and have questionable balance. So if you ever decide to try this, please make sure you get lots of practice beforehand and do not overestimate your or the rickshaws abilities. Vehicles drive fast and with little regard to the rules of the road so driving defensively will be your best chance of survival.

The legality of what we did is also somewhat questionable but we had no issues, even when we were pulled over by police. 

And finally, the most important take away from this trip was how humbled we were by everyone that we met. It didn’t matter what village or city we were in, when we broke down, people went out of their way to help us get back on the road. When we were lost, people gave us directions with a smile. And when we were just stopping for fun, there was always someone with the kindness and sincerity to make us feel truly welcome. 

We wish we could take the rickshaw with us to every country that we visit because the experience was so much greater. But since we can’t, we will continue to seek out other adventures that allow for these types of connections. Because to us, that is what travel is really all about. As great as the beaches or mountains are, in the end it’s always about the people. So India, we thank you for that. Thank you for welcoming us into your home and and treating us like family and thank you for teaching us what unconditional generosity really means.

We look forward to seeing you again soon!

If you have any questions about the trip or want advice on doing something similar, feel free to ask in the comments below.

One of the biggest struggles for us backpackers, is that you can’t buy any cool handcrafted souvenirs to bring home with you. Our backpacks always seem to be too small and too damn heavy. But we have a solution for all y’all. Look for portable and consumable souvenirs like… alcohol!

On our recent trip to Luang Prabang in Laos, we went to the night market and found some awesome rice wine sold by a local lady. She was sitting on a floor matt between other vendors, who were selling the typical tourist tchotchkes like t-shirts, statues and clothes, which we don’t care for too much. She made us an offer we couldn’t refuse; a free tasting. We tried a couple bottles of different wines and we decided to purchase a small bottle of the most mild flavored fermented rice wine.

The taste was unique and it reminded us of the health drink called kombucha. If you love kombucha you will like this wine. Naturally, rice wine tastes excellent with asian food. We got a bowl of spicy noodle soup and drank the wine with it. It was delicious! 

This rice wine was easy to drink. It is alway dangerous when alcohol tastes like juice because it’s hard to know when to stop! If you’re ever in Luang Prabang give it a try and you won’t regret it.

Cheers!

I got my first piercing when I was 14. Like many other teenage girls in the 90’s, I chose to pierce my belly button. It was my summer break and my parents were away on holiday. I had about $8 in my pocket and I chose to spend it on a piercing. My mom was furious when she found out, but the piercing stayed and everybody forgot about the whole thing. At one point when I got older I took the belly ring out because I thought it was uncool.

Fast forward to 2016, when I was 33 and together with my husband we started our travel adventure. Call it a midlife crisis, but I wanted to get some cool piercings. So when we arrived in Lisbon, Portugal I instantly started to look for a piercing studio. I found a perfect place and I scheduled an appointment for placing a new piercing in my bellybutton and new upper lobe piercings.

The procedures were done in a very sterile environment by a professional, and I never expected to have any problems with it.

First signs of infection

A few days after the piercing, we arrived in Morocco. It was hellishly hot, about 45 C. My ear started to hurt and the color resembled a sunset on a desert. Perhaps it was the hot, dusty weather or not having been properly cleaning my fresh piercing but a small infection started. I got some over-the-counter medicine and continued to properly clean it for the rest of our stay in Morocco.

Indian Healers

By the time we got to India, I knew that my infection was not going away. I had to take some antibiotics. The day we started our journey in the Himalayas my year was better, but it was still bothering me. It had been almost 4 months at this point since I had been dealing with this chronic infection. As you can imagine lot of people told me to take the earrings out, but I desperately wanted to keep them. I believed it was just taking a while to heal and soon any signs of infection would be gone.

After few days of traveling in the Himalayas we arrived in Mudh, a small village. There was no pharmacy in the village, and the closest medical center was about 10 hours away.  In the evening my ear turned red/purple, doubled in size and I was in pain. At the dinner table I met a doctor who insisted that the earrings be removed. He explained that the bacteria was trapped inside and the infection would not go away. Because the ear was so swollen I wasn’t able to take the earrings out myself. I turned for help from our host lady, whose name I am unsure of but I just called her Tara. India is famous for piercings and most Indian women have at least their nose or ear pierced. Tara looked at my ear, made an “ooouch” noise that confirmed all my worries. She told me to come back in the morning.

As soon as I woke up, I ran down the street to the guesthouse to have my piercings removed. Tara was in the kitchen prepping food for the arrival of the Lama. It was a big day for Mudh, but she still had time to help me. We walked outside the house where I sad down on the warm, sun soaked cement stairs. I could not wait to have the earrings removed already! The screws from the earrings where jammed so tight, that no matter how hard Tara tried to unscrew them it wasn’t doing anything. Then Tara’s husbands decided to bring some old rusty plyers from the garage and used some force. Do you see where this is going? Yeah… Mind you this was all happening very fast and I didn’t understand anything these people were saying. I didn’t resist the use of the plyers at first. I thought Tara’s husband was going to unscrew the stubborn piercings, but instead he decided to pull on both ends of the earrings as hard as possible, which caused extreme bleeding and almost tore my ear off. I swear the Lama, who was about to visit the town heard me screaming my heart out. I can usually tolerate high levels of pain, but this was beyond what I could handle. I started to cry, the blood from my ear was dripping on the ground and Tara was screaming at her husband for causing this mess. When I finally calmed down, a few young girls from the village showed up to help. It was funny because when they came over they still had pieces of dry dough on their hands from making rotis. I think they must have heard me screaming and crying and came to the rescue. One of those girls, with her tiny hands very quickly removed the earrings one by one. The relief was almost instant.

The Indian girls also put small pieces of neem wood where my piercings had been. That way the holes would not close. Neem wood has natural antibacterial properties and it is widely used in medicine. They also told me to apply hot oil with turmeric. For the next few weeks my ear was oozing with puss, blood and crust, but it finally got better. This time for good!

I seriously don’t know what I would have done without the help of these girls from Mudh. I felt like maybe they saved my life and my ear for sure!

KL, short for Kuala Lumpur, is a modern city full of tall skyscrapers, shopping malls and surprisingly, a small population. But between the new modern skyline, there are also some old treasures that allow you to take a look into the past of this fast growing city. Here are our recommendations as well as some things we tried but think you can probably skip.

The Petronas Twin Towers

These towers need no introduction and are an obvious stop to anyone visiting the city, but we had to mention them because they’re f*#king amazing. We went to see the Petronas Towers multiple times on our stay in KL. That is how beautiful they are. They are particularly magnificent at night with the lights showcasing the truly stunning architectural design. Also at night, the KLCC park behind the towers, has a colorful fountain show much like Bellagio in Vegas.

The best free view of the towers is from the Grand Hyatt KL located at Grand Hyatt KL, Jalan Pinang, KL. Just take the elevator to the 39th floor and enjoy the beautiful view of the Towers. 

The towers themselves have an interesting history when you read about the design, construction and some significant obstacles that almost stopped the entire construction because of a poor site selection and a batch of bad concrete at one of the towers. Needless to say, we’re happy that all these hurdles were overcome because it was truly a memorable experience.

The Tipsy Gypsies Tip:  Public transportation is a great way to get around the city. We used the monorail to get to all the tourist sites and it’s quite cheap.  You can also use Uber and another similar app GrabCar, which is more popular in Asia.

Kampung Baru

Kampung Baru is the last village in KL city with low rise, traditional Malay homes. The village is very controversial because of the aggressive construction that is happening in the neighborhood. Unfortunately it won’t be much longer before the value of this prime property outweighs the value of the locals lively hood and they will be forced out. The land is said to be worth more than 1 billion dollars. It has been an ongoing and a difficult fight between the owners of the land trying to preserve it and the government having different plans, so despite the protests, it’s disappearing fast. 

Visiting the Kampung Baru was the highlight and most fun tourist activity we did in the city. We joined a great free walking tour hosted by the mayors office. The guide was excellent, spoke perfect english and knew everybody in the neighborhood. It was more like walking around a new town with a local friend, who knows all the cool spots and whom you could ask everything. It was partially a cultural, historical and culinary trip. Kampung Baru is also famous for it’s night market. We stopped to try many traditional Malay delicacies for free. Sometimes it can be intimidating to order foreign food, but not with a native who will tell you what you are eating.

We definitely recommend you register for this free tour with Jalan- Jalan @ Kampong Bharu. The tours are every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday.

The Tipsy Gypsies Tip: We actually almost stayed in Kampung Baru village because we’ve read so many great things about it. There is a nice guest house there called Bagasta that is not quite the cheapest for a budget traveler (about $25/night), but our tour guide confirmed it’s worth the stay. They have a roof top patio with an amazing view of the towers and there is tons of great food within walking distance.

China Town

Chinatown in KL is like every other chinatown in the world, except probably for China. Even during a hot day it was crowded with people and many vendors selling the same cheap junk: iphone cases, fake gucci bags etc. However, the most disappointing was the food. It wasn’t terrible but definitely not the best and there were few options compared to other food markets. If you are a foodie, there is way better to be found.

If you’re staying near Chinatown then you might as well check it out, otherwise we would not recommend going there.

The Tipsy Gypsies Tip: Despite our lack of enthusiasm, Chinatown is great for cheap hotels and in general is a good central location. If you are planning on staying in Chinatown we’ve read the Lantern Hotel is nice and moderately priced. We walked by it on our visit. It is located in the heart of Chinatown right next to the market, and it looked very hip from the exterior.

Bukit Bintang

Bukit Bintang is the new trendy neighborhood where the “cool” kids hang out. It has everything teenagers love: big shopping malls, mini malls, cute cafes and trendy bars. Unaware of all these “great things”, we stayed in this neighborhood and we actually loved it. It’s conveniently located right next to the most famous night market in KL, Jalan Alor and also has some very convenient metro stops nearby. This night market is a very lively place to get food and people watch. It stretches several blocks and after 7, is bustling with hungry patrons sampling all of KL’s specialties. 

Our hotel, the Hotel Paloma Inn was quiet and the staff was extremely friendly.  We’re sorry to say though if you want some decent wifi, it sucks at this hotel, so consider yourself warned.  On the other hand, the location was great. We were in close proximity to the metro, Chinatown, the night market and all the trendy western restaurants. We found this really amazing brunch spot with killer food right around the corner from us. If you are craving something fresh from the west, VCR is the place to go. We could talk for hours about how tasty the food was but on top of that, the design was cool and the crowd was hip. This might sound bad if you haven’t been away from home long, but it felt like we were eating food somewhere in the arts district in LA and for us, that was awesome. 

Brickfields, Little India

If you’ve never been to India, there’s nothing wrong with visiting Little India. But since we’d just come from India, we’re sorry to say this was probably our least favorite part of town. We went there around lunch time looking for some good Indian food but when we got to the recommended food market, all we were served were some cold flavorless “leftovers” that tasted nothing like in India.  

After lunch we wandered on the streets of little India. All we could find were the “iconic” arches painted with bright colors, a small flower market and a lot of cheap, low quality Indian clothes. 

We feel it was not worth buying the metro ticket to come here. There is supposed to be a free walking tour of this neighborhood too and we tried contacting them without any luck. If any of you ever do the free walking tour or find something cool to do in Brickfields, definitely let us know. Maybe we were lousy at finding the good stuff. 

We only had a few days in KL but we would love to come back and explore some more. There were definitely things that we missed on this trip that sounded very interesting and we would love to try them in the future. Here is our wish list we didn’t get to. If you try any of these please let us know how they are!

• Dialogue in the dark: what started as an art project by an artist, is now a life changing experience, where you walk through a complete pitch black space guided by a blind person. They also do “Dinner in the Dark.” It’s a project to make the general population aware of diversity and disability. It sounds so interest and we would loved to meet the guides.
• Go to Publika, the hipster mall, on Monday for a free movie screening.
• This Kul city discovery walk: for the next 18 months you can participate in another free walking tour of KL focusing on “specific cultural and heritage sites of the city” with guest speakers and more. This just sounds like a great way to discover the city.

Cheers!

India is known for its large population, but did you know that some of the most remote and least populated villages in the world are also found here? 

The Himalayan Mountains need no introduction, but not many people know about the quiet, peaceful valleys in the Himalayas where you don’t need to be a hardcore trekker to connect with nature or experience the tranquility and amazing hospitality of the natives who live in this rugged terrain.

The three Himalayan Valleys: Spiti, Pin and Kinnaur, located in the northern part of India in the Himachal Pradesh region, are a must visit before you die!

This is Part 3 describing our 12 day journey visiting: Spiti, Pin and Kinnaur Valleys in the Himachal Pradesh. Please read Part 1 and Part 2 to find helpful tips on how to plan your trip to this region.

Spiti Valley loop itenerary.

Day 01

 Manali-Chandratal-Losar

On a cold morning we woke at 5am sharp. Our driver Bitu, showed up on time and by 5:45am we packed up the car and we were eager to start our next adventure through the Himalayan valleys.

When we left Manali it was still dark outside, and the city was just waking up. Shortly after leaving we began climbing up some steep mountains. The views opened up and we could tell that this trip was going to be epic.

Everything seemed to be easy until the road started getting more winding and bumpy. Around this time I, (Marta) started to feel car sick. We had to stop for a short break for some fresh air and well, vomiting. My stomach was not ready for this. Luckily the nausea went away quickly. My body was able to adjust and the rest of the trip went without any stomach problems.

Rohtang Pass and pile of corpses

Before we left on this trip we’d heard that the roads in the Spiti Valley can be very dangerous. Sometimes the internet can make things more dramatic than they really are. The roads seemed fine to us and before we knew it, we’d passed the “scary” Rohtang Pass. However, we understood why this road remains closed in the winter. The road was narrow and at some points had huge cliffs on the side.

As long as you/or your driver is sober, doesn’t speed, and the weather conditions are optimal this road is totally safe. If you are traveling by bus, you might want to close your eyes at some points. Having said that, we are well aware of the dangers when it rains or snows. Fatal landslides are notorious in this region so make sure to check the weather before heading out on your trip.

The pass is open May to October and after that if you are crazy enough, you can travel at your own risk.  Hence the name Rohtang, which translates in english to “pile of corpses”. 

The Tipsy Gypsies Tip: Make sure you bring a bandana or a face mask when you visit these valleys. Not only is the sun strong, but the roads are extremely dusty. Something to cover your face will make the trip much more enjoyable.

After a few hours of driving, everyone got a bit hungry. We stopped at a Dhaba (a roadside restaurant) in Chhatru for breakfast. We had Paratha (stuffed flatbread) served with pickles and Chai to drink.

Paratha is a breakfast staple in India. Parathas can be stuffed with veggies like potato, cauliflower or cheese and are usually served with curd and sour pickles. Our Indian friends laughed when we told them that in America we eat parathas with main dishes like dals and curries. 

A few kilometers after Chatru we saw an official sign welcoming us to Spiti & Lahaul aka “the middle land”.

Chandra Tal “Lake of the Moon”

In the afternoon we reached Chandra Tal Lake, located at 4,300 meters (14,100 ft) above sea level. At this point we started to feel small symptoms of altitude sickness: shortness of breath, tiredness, dizziness (it was definitely not from drinking), but we managed to go for a short walk to the lake, which was beautiful.

We almost camped near the lake but due to the altitude sickness, and the campground being short on supplies because it was closing the next day, we decided to move on. Our next option for accommodations was Losar.

Kunzum Pass

Before we reached Losar there was another big pass to cross, the Kunzum Pass. This pass connects Kullu and Lahaul Valleys with the Spiti Valley. 

After a long day of driving, we finally arrived in Losar. We could’t see much of the town because it was already late and the power was out in the whole village. We ate a simple, warm meal and we were ready for bed. Since the power was still out, there was no hot water for a shower. That night we feel asleep to candle light under thick blankets, dreaming of hot water back home.

Day 02

Losar-Kaza

Waking up early was not easy but this was something that we had to get used to on this trip. Our room was warming up from the strong sunlight beaming through our windows. There was still no warm water due to the power outage that lasted the whole night. The cold shower woke us up fast.

Before we left we had a chance to enjoy the views in Losar. The town looked peaceful and beautiful in the morning. Frost was still on the ground and you could definitely feel winter approaching…

We were ready to leave by 8am, in order to reach the SDM office in Kaza before it closed. Kaza was our last chance where we could obtain the ILP (Inner Line Permit), which would allow us to enter the Spiti Valley.

As soon as we arrived in Kaza, we drove straight to the SDM office. Unlike in Shimla and Manali, the officers in Kaza easily issued us the “single person permit”. We only had to pay 50 rupees each for processing our permit. After about 30 minutes we both left the office relieved, and happy to have our ILP permits in hand! 

The Tipsy Gypsies Tip: All foreigners visiting the Spiti Valley are required to get the ILP (read Part 2).

In Kaza we just needed to find a hotel for one night. Despite being late in the season, almost all the guesthouses were either closed, booked or wanted too much money. Eventually we found a room for 1,200 rupees (after negotiation) at the “Snow White” hotel. The hotel had decent rooms, very slow wifi and some hot water. At this point we didn’t need much to make us happy.

It was getting late and the temperatures were getting colder every day. This made us a little worried since we did not have proper winter clothing with us. The rooms were never heated. We had to layer on everything we owned and we always requested extra blankets.

Day 03: Kaza

In the morning we found out that the only gas station in town was out of fuel. We had enough gas to see the nearby monasteries but not enough to leave Kaza. We continued on with our plans.

Visiting Komic Village & Monastery

Komic Village, located at an altitude of 15,027 feet above sea level, is apparently the world’s highest village that can be reached by car. There is only one bus that goes from Kaza to Komic twice a week, which is why you will see many villagers along the road trying to hitchhike. Since there were only three of us in a big car we picked up hitchers many times.

At Komic Monastery, there are two building structures. The old Tangyud Monastery, where the monks pray and a newer (pic above) monastery where the monks reside. Women are not allowed to enter the old monastery durning prayer time. We weren’t sure exactly why and the monks weren’t too keen on talking about it. We have been told that the majority monks practice celibacy, and some of them might even refuse to be in a presence of women, but apparently some of them have open relationships. 

The Buddhist monks were very curious and friendly. We had the honor of sharing a few stories with this monk from Komic over hot Chai.

Langza

On the way back from Komic we stopped in Langza to see the statue of Lord Buddha overlooking the valley.

Day 04: Kaza

In the morning we tried again to buy gas at the station (or from the locals) but we had no luck. We were supposed to be on our way to the next town, but it looked like we would be in Kaza a little longer. Nobody expected the gas shortage to last this long. 

Key Monastery

Key Gompa was founded around the 11th century. It was destroyed multiple times by the Mongols in the 11th, 14th and 17th centuries. Then in the 1800’s, it was raided and sacked by the Sikhs, followed by a fire and a severe earthquake years later. However, the monks did not give up easily and somehow they managed to rebuild the monastery. Impressive!

The “boxy” structure developed because of the many destructions this monastery suffered. The monks wanting to rebuild as fast as possible, built simple box like structures clustered together, which resulted in a unique, fort-like look. 

On the way to this monastery, Nate and I talked about how much we admired the monks life-long dedication to Buddhism. We’ve contemplated what would it be like to be a young child, far away from home, living with “strangers” and devoting your entire life to God. To an outsider, the buddhist religion compared to other religions seemed superior… unscathed… incorruptible….

When we reached the top of the Key monastery, we met some other tourists from America. One of the guests started to chat with us and without telling him about our conversation, he flat out asked us if we thought that the Buddhist religion was better than others, to which we shrugged our shoulders implying a “maybe/yes”. It felt like he just either overheard our private talk or he was reading our minds. Since I was raised Catholic, I pointed out problems with the church: the political power, pedophilia, bigotry to name just the few, to which the man said that it does in fact happen in buddhism as well. He raised some interesting points about the Dalai Lama, probably the most famous buddhist teacher of our time, being a very rich man. Many people criticize the Dalai Lama for being a celebrity and profiting from the religion and not being the most honest man.  What was more interesting, is this conversation happened in front of the head monk who gave us a tour of the monastery, who didn’t seem to mind what this man was telling us. The man himself was a follower of buddhism, but it was refreshing to hear him admit that sometimes things aren’t what they seem, and that it’s good to question not only what we don’t know, but what we think we already knew.  

When we were leaving we looked round the monastery with a new perspective. This time we saw many villagers working hard on a new addition with a private room for the Dalai Lama. They were carrying and moving massive, heavy rocks with primitive machinery. These men, women and very young children, as poor as they were, volunteered their time to improve these old structures for no money. I would think that with all the donations these monasteries receive they could afford to pay them even a measly salary…

We left the monastery with more questions than answers.  I guess that is the point of traveling; that we learn from others, experience new perspectives and be reminded that the world is not black and white, but also many shades of grey between. We still have enormous respect for buddhism and many it’s followers. But it was refreshing to be made aware of the things you don’t hear about as often.

From the Key Monastery we also visited the town of Kibber. On the way we saw the highest bridge in India being built by men and women. These people had no harness on them while they were working! They were probably were paid but defnitelly not enought for the type of work they were doing. 

Before there were bridges, the way to cross the huge valleys was by basket. People, as well as animals and goods were transported this way. Somebody needed to be waiting and willing to pull the rope on the other side of the hill. This system still exists in many areas where roads and bridges have not been built.

The picture above is a close up and it might not look so bad, but the drop was huge. You defintely needed to have some strong nerves to use this for of transportation.

We drove back to Kaza to refill our tank and bellies! 

While our driver waited in line at the gas station, we tried a small local food joint. This place was run by a cute little lady and her husband. We tried the veggie chow main, thupka soup and momos. It was all delicious!

Best Tibetan homemade meal in Kaza! You will find this place at the main square, near the gas station.

Chinese food in India is infused with tibetan and indian spices, which gives it a unique taste. It’s hot and flavorful. 

After lunch we found out that the gas wouldn’t arrive until the next morning. We were forced to stay yet another night in Kaza. 

Day 05: Kaza to Mudh

Our driver Bitu, had been waiting at the gas station since 6am. After many hours of anxiously waiting, our driver finally returned with great news. The tank was full! We enjoyed our time in Kaza but were ready to drive to the next town, Mudh.

Arriving in Mudh was like love at first sight. The air was cold but the sun was shining. In the dusty valley, already covered by the shadows, we saw and heard yaks being rounded up by the villagers. 

Later we found out that a big festival was going to take place the next day. The Lama of the region, for the first time in probably more than 50 years, was going to visit Mudh and we were there to witness it!

The whole village seemed to be doing something to help with the preparations for the next day. Cooking, cleaning, decorating the town and washing the animals. We were so excited about what we were going to see the next day!

Day 06: Arrival of the Lama

In the morning, the whole village woke up early for the Lama’s arrival. The ladies had been cooking meals for the entire town, the yaks and horses were now decorated and the villagers wore their best clothes. This was the the first time these villagers were able to meet the Lama, but somehow they knew exactly what to do. It’s like they prepared for this moment their whole life. 

Women and men in traditional outfits awaiting the Lama’s arrival.

Around noon, the Lama and his entourage finally arrived in Mudh.  There was a big crowd of people surrounding him. He proceeded to a special room, where only the most elite were able to accompany him.

Some etiquette that we learned while taking pictures of the Lama was that we couldn’t stand higher that him and technically weren’t allow to take pictures of him. He had his official photographer and a camera man and only they had the privilege of capturing the young, 27 year old Lama’s image.

The people from Mudh brought offerings in the form of food and money. There was also a “shaman” in a costume, who ran down the street, chanting and huffing and puffing to scare away evil spirits. At least, that is what our interpretation of it was.

Shortly after the Lamas arrival we were invited to join the rest for a communal meal. We had never felt so included and welcomed, especially for something we knew so little about. An enormous thank you to the village of Mudh!

Day 07: Mudh to Tabo

Still overwhelmed with the feeling of what we had witnessed the day before, we left Mudh broken hearted. We hugged and thanked our lovely hosts from Tara’s Homestay! They were amazing to us! Not only this lady saved my ear from a piercing infection, (story coming soon), but I would travel anywhere again to taste her homemade meals and chai around a hot stove!

Dhankar Monastery

On the way to Tabo, we stopped at another monastery to say a quick hello and have a chat with the monks.

Many people visit Spiti Valley in the summer, which we want to do in the future, but the colors of the fall are absolutely beautiful here.

Day 08, 09, 10: Tabo-Kalpa -Raksham

After spending a night in Tabo, we headed to Kalpa. This was our last night with our driver Bitu, who was going to leave us in Raksham with some new friends. We had a flexible schedule and we weren’t in a rush to get back to Delhi. 

The Tipsy Gypsies saying goodbye to their trusty driver Bitu.

Raksham

Raksham is located in the Kinnaur Valley, a region known for the most delicious apples in India. This village is a perfect spot for bird-watching, bouldering and hiking. The terrain is very different from the dry and rocky Spiti and Pin Valley’s. Raksham is surrounded by evergreen trees and massive rivers run through the valleys. 

Besides the famous apples, try the fresh apricot oil that you can use for massages.  Your skin will smell and feel amazing!

Chitkul

If you are staying in Raksham, you MUST visit Chitkul, another quaint village only a short drive away.

Day 11&12: Returning to Delhi

We spent the last 2 days with our friends in Narkanda, learning about birdwatching, but we preferred to do beer-watching. It was great to relax for 2 days before we got back to hectic Delhi for the biggest holiday in India, Diwali.

We are already planing to return to this region durning the summer with our tents and do some camping. Let us know if you have been to the Spiti Valley before and what was your experience was like. What must we do next time? Share your stories in the comments below!

 Want to plan a trip on the amazing Spiti Valley Loop? Every foreigner traveling from Kaza to Kinnauar is required to obtain the ILP (Inner Line Permit) so make sure you do your homework. Here you’ll find answers on how to obtain the permit as well as transportation options for this amazing journey. If you missed Part 1 of this story you can find it here.

After being denied the ILP (Inner Line Permit) in Shimla, we continued our journey in the north of India to Manali, where we were told we would 100% get the permit.

Again, we ended up in a small town with one purpose only, to obtain the ILP.  All the foreigners visiting Himachal Pradesh between the Spiti Valley and Kinnaur Districts are required to get the ILP.  

Inner Line Permit

As soon as we got to Manali, we visited the SDM office to get the ILP,  which is located in the city center, on Mall road. It turned out that in Manali, the permits are only issued for groups of 4 or more people, so we were back to square one. Winter was approaching fast and we only had 2 days before the pass was going to close (The Kunzum Pass is closed from October 16th for 7 months).

But this is India and we knew that there would be another way around this small bump. At the SDM office we were informed to go to Kaza, where the officers were apparently not as strict on the rule of 4 people traveling together.

We decided to try our luck with the ILP in Kaza. We only had to find transportation from Manali to Kaza.

Transportation

There are few ways to travel on this route.

Option 1: The most obvious choice is to drive yourself either by renting a car or motorcycle. But since neither of us had done this before and after hearing how treacherous the roads were, we didn’t feel comfortable with this option. Having said that, our next time will be on motorcycles! Also, we wanted to be able to take in the views rather than worry about driving off a cliff… 

Option 2: There is one bus from Manali to Kaza and it leaves at 6am. There are no reserved seats but this is the cheapest option. We heard the ride through the pass can be a bit dangerous and rough so weren’t so keen on taking the bus. 

Option 3: A “Volvo bus” would have been more comfortable but apparently wasn’t available because it was the end of the season.

Option 4: Private taxis (“yellow cab”) wanted to charge us 9,000 rupees to drive from Manali to Kaza. This was way too expensive and out of the question.

Option 5: Shared Taxi in a 4×4 costs only 2,000 rupees each but the driver who looked like Indian Lenny Kravitz, didn’t have a permit to drive foreigners through Rohtang Pass. Lenny almost convinced us to sneak through the border but we decided not to.

Option 6: After walking for hours from one tourist office to another, we stepped into Chandertal Trek and Tours. After some negotiating, we decided to rent a private driver with a 4×4 to drive us for 10 days in the Himachal Pradesh. That way we could stop anywhere we wanted, film and photograph easier, and it also sounded like the most comfortable ride.

We negotiated the price for the driver, car and gas for 3,600 rupees a day. We later learned that this is way too much and it should have been about half but oh well… Foreigners always pay more because we have no clue what things should cost in India. We’ll know better next time.

Chandertal Tours helped us to plan the 10 day trip. We planned to drive from Manali to visit the valleys of: Spiti, Pin and Kinnauar, making a big loop and ending in Shimla.

We were going to meet our driver Bitu next day at 5:30am. Part 3 coming soon…

Have a tip or story to share about getting your Inner Line Permit? Please share in the comments below!

After weeks of  dealing with one of the most populated cities in the word we were ready to spend some time in nature.We traded the hot and humid weather of New Delhi for the cooler temperatures of the north. Our journey begins in Shimla, the beautiful mountainous town, famous for it’s spectaculars views, friendly and hard working people and delicious organic apples. The Tipsy Gypsies are on a journey to explore the spectacular Himachal Pradesh, and more….

PART 1

Delhi to Shimla

On an early morning, we boarded a train from Delhi to Shimla. This was our first long distance train ride, and we cautiously decided to sit in an AC cart with reserved seats. We almost missed the train because we got into a car accident with a crazy uber driver, which you can ready about it here

Still shaken up after the uber drive we ran into the station a few minutes before 5:15am and just in time to catch our train. The ride was very pleasant and comfortable and perfect for catching up on sleep. 

After a few hours we arrived in a town called Kalka and boarded the Himalayan Queen “Toy Train” to Shimla. This train was very tiny, hence the name, and operated on a different, smaller track. Before we boarded the train, we were able to buy lunch and eat before we starting our long journey to Shimla.

The journey on the toy train is spectacular. You get to soak in the views for about 6 hours so get comfortable and enjoy the ride.

The train makes short stops along the way so if you get hungry there are plenty of opportunities to eat food: delicious hot samosas, snacks, and sweet chai. Food vendors will also come onto the train with chai and fresh snacks like chana chaat (garbanzo beans with onion, tomatoes, chilis and fresh lime juice).

The boonies of Shimla

Shimla is a popular destination, therefore not the cheapest for budget travelers like us. We decided to stay in a hotel called “Snowflake Cottage”, located 9 kilometers outside the town, which turned out to be a good decision. The following day in a desperate search for beer, we explored a small town nearby, Mashobra, on foot. It was a walk worth the adventure despite the rain that got us soaking wet. Here are some things we got see while walking along the road.

The advantage of staying outside the city was that the hotel was cheaper, but the negative was that getting to the city was not so cheap. We knew that the taxi would be around 500 rupees one way, which was almost half of what we spent on the hotel. We had to come up with another plan for transportation.

We asked the front desk for help. They reluctantly said that buses do exist, but they don’t recommend it. Perhaps they wanted us to use the paid taxi service (commission for the hotel) or they were just confused why two white kids would want to ride the locals bus. Of course, we decided to try the bus.

The local buses can get crowded in seconds, with people transporting all sorts of things: packages, propane bottles (totally illegal and dangerous), farm animals, but you are almost guaranteed to fit no matter how many people are inside. Seldom do tourists use public transportation. If you are a foreigner traveling on a local bus you will be the talk of all the conversations for probably weeks. We learned the the local buses are a lot fun, fast (sometimes too fast), and very cheap. Locals are very helpful so don’t be afraid to ride the crazy bus.

The Tipsy Gypsies Tip: The bus will stop pretty much anywhere you want. When you are stacked in the back of the bus and you want to make the bus to stop, just whistle.

Touristing in Shimla

First things first, coffee is a must. We went to the old school coffeeshop “Indian Coffee House”, where waiters wear cool outfits and the coffee is decent and you can grab some snacks before you explore the rest of the city.

Also they have a restroom and toilette paper!! It’s a luxury in India.

Jakhoo, Monkey Temple

Hindus worship animals, cows being the holiest of them all. For a semi-vegan, this sounds like a great religion. We decided to visit the Jakkhoo temple, which is dedicated to the monkey god Hanuman.

Jakhoo temple is located on top of a hill. Either we are out of shape or this is a really steep climb. Before you start the walk make sure you’ve had some coffee and bring plenty of water with you. Once you get to the top, the atmosphere is amazing. Architecturally, the design of the temple itself is ok, but there are mischievous monkeys running around the whole place, which was the most fun part about this place. 

Beware of the monkeys

Seeing monkeys in the wild was something very new to us, so naturally we got very excited. However, the monkeys are clever with the dumb tourists, so here is the thing. They are very cute and extremely smart. We “played” around with them, taking pictures and watching them, and we got very comfortable maybe too comfortable… it’s hard to resist them, just take a look.

Just when we started to leave one of the monkeys tried to steal the scarf of my (Marta’s) backpack. The monkey was screaming and I was screaming. Fortunately for me, my scarf was tide to my backpack so the monkey ran away empty handed.

The Tipsy Gypsies Tips: Lesson #1 put all your loose shit away (sunglasses, scarfs, phones, cameras!!) because they will try to snatch it from you. These guys are smart and once they steal your stuff they will try to bribe you to bring them food and trade for your belongings. Yes, this sounds crazy but it is true. There is a chance that if you have some tasty snacks they will return your stuff to you, but unfortunately it might be in poor condition.

Advanced Studies aka Rashtrapati

This is a beautiful classical structure built by the British in the 1800’s. Don’t bother with the tour of the interior because it sucks. Since there is still an interior designer in me, I love learning about the interior architecture and we decided to tour the interior. This tour was really lame. The guide knew English, but during the tour spoke Hindi language only. We spent about 5 min in each room. The guide told us to read the pamphlets in the rooms (as long as the Lord of the Rings) and ask him questions if we have any. Mhhh ok, thanks. So we recommend that you do your own research on the history of the place, and spend as much time as you can around the gardens surrounding the building. 

Food Porn

After the hike we sure got hungry. We decided to hit as many food stalls as possible

Snack #1 Veggie Samosa burger from SITA Ram and Son

Snack #2 Gravy and Ghawna (pancake)  from SITA Ram and Son

Snack #2 Chinese noodles Indian Style

After Shimla, we originally planned to travel to the Ladakh region, but winter was approaching rapidly and we weren’t prepared for the snow and freezing weather. We decided to journey through the Spiti Valley loop instead, but there was one catch. Foreigners need a permit to visit this region. The bureau of tourism in Shimla said they couldn’t help us with the permit, and we needed to go to Manali. So guess where we are going next? …Read part 2, Manali and Inner Line Permit coming soon…

A camel trip is probably one of the main reasons why you should visit Morocco. Camel trekking and an overnight stay, combined with stargazing in the Sahara desert will leave you with one of the most memorable experiences of your life and perhaps with some painful blisters on your butt too. Here is what you need to know before you go.

Where are the camels?

Most of the camel trips start in Merzouga. Depending on your itinerary, most likely you will be traveling to Merzouga from Marrachesch. There are plenty of travel agencies that can arrange the camel trip for you from Marrakech, but if you want to save money, we recommend that you take a CTM bus from the city. The bus ride is about 8h-10h,  but is very comfortable. If you have the time you can also stop in Todra Gorge for a night or two and do some trekking there and continue on to Merzouga from there.

First of all these animals are not camels. They actually are call a dromedary. The difference is that the dromedary have one hump, unlike camels, which have two lovely humps.  

Trekking

The most surprising thing about out camel ride was that all the camels are tide together by a rope and they walk in line following a guide. If you have never been on a horse and you are afraid, this is probably great news for you. For those who expect a more wild ride you might be a bit disappointed in the ride itself. The ride was fairly comfortable, but we were happy to get down after 2-3 h. 

What  NOT to wear on a dromedary (camel) trip?

There is just one very important piece of clothing that you should NEVER  wear on a dromedary/camel trip. It’s a thong. OMG, don’t ever make the same mistake, unless you want to experience blisters in places that you never thought you could get.

Have you heard of the phenomenon called sahara butt? probably not. It’s when you wear clothes that rub in the crevices of your body e.g your butt. Yeah, just don’t wear any clothes that will crunch up in you butt. We are going to leave this here but trust us!!

How to avoid the sahara butt?

1. Wear comfortable underwear and don’t wear any clothes that will crunch up (in you butt).

2. Wear long pants, your legs won’t chafe !! 

3. Loose clothes are great! You won’t sweat and it will protect you from the sun plus you will be comfortable. 

Also Important:  Do not forget your sunglasses, head scarf, sunblock and SPF lipstick!

Night at the Desert

After a few hours of trekking you will arrive to your camp. You will be fed, with most likely Tagine, and if you are lucky enough you might be entertained with traditional berber music. Berber people have an amazing culture and spirit. 

Tipsy Gypsies Tip:  We recommend that you bring some liquor to the desert. Berber people like alcohol, and as long as you share your goods with them, they will too.

Berber people were traditionally nomads. Don’t assume that the nomadic lifestyle and simple life make these people ignorant . Both of our guides were smart students who spoke fluently in at least 4 languages. They were also are humble and very talented musicians They told us they didn’t like big cities and decided to live a simple life and follow their passion, music.

Tipsy Gypsies Tip:  We talked with our guides and asked them for some funny stories from the desert. They told us that sometimes tourists get too drunk and behave rude. Some tourist decide to wander off the camp to the dunes and can’t find their way back. Drunk tourist might be only 5 minutes away from the camp, but the dunes all look very similar. The guides are always vigilant and they know where you are and will rescue you (after some time) of course. So unless you know how to guide yourself with the starts, you might have to spend some lonely hours rethinking your behavior and actions. We think that is a fair lesson.

Sunrise

You can’t miss the sunrise in the desert. It’s spectacular! If you only stay one night you will most likely head back to the hotel early in the morning. You will eat breakfast at the hotel and you can use the shower and pool for couple of hours. 

Saying goodbye to this view was hard, but we will be back for more!!

Meet the Ganoua tribe

On your way out from Merzouga we stopped by Khamlia village. Khamilia village is inhabited by the Ganoua or Gnawa people, who originally were slaves from Africa.  Nowdays, the Gnawa people are shepherds and dromedary/camel herders and their music is world famous. At the village we experienced the traditional music and dance of the Ganoua tribe performed by a group called “Groupe des Bamabras” . They were truly amazing and welcoming. If you want to learn more about their history check out www.khamlia.com

Chefchaouen, The Blue City

You don’t need a lot of reasons to visit Chefchaouen, the picturesque blue city in the Rif mountains of Northern Morocco. If your favorite color is blue and you love cats, these reasons are good enough.

The Tipsy Gypsies had big plans for Chefchaouen. There are plenty of hikes and sightseeing here, but sometimes life gives you the worst food poisoning and your plans, well, need to slightly adjust. We tried our best to see the most we could and not to vomit in public. So even though we were sick while we stayed in Chefchaouen for 3 days, we truly can tell you that this place is magical and it has a lot to offer. Hopefully the pictures will show the beauty of this city and you will want to visit. 

Cats play an important role in making this blue city even more cute. Cats always seem to live by their own rules no matter where and in Chef they rule the streets. This city probably has the most dense population of cats that we have seen so far in Morocco.

It seems that these furry pets are treated very well here.

It’s dinner time. Locals love to feeds the cats. You will see as many as 10 or more cats lined up perfectly in the evenings in font of houses for food. 

Why is the city blue?

We did research and asked around, but nobody actually knows the answer. There are few rumors that might satisfy your curiosity.

1st rumor is that apparently the blue color is supposed to repel mosquitos because blue walls are reminiscent of fresh moving water. 

2nd rumor has it that the blue paint was introduced by the Jewish community that lived here during the 1930s to symbolize the sky and heaven. 

We are guessing none of these are true and it has to do something with the cats.

Food & Accommodations

Well, all we can say is that the coffee was safe. All jokes aside, the cuisine here is typical to Morocco fused with Spanish/European food. There is even an Italian restaurant that has decent pasta and pizza.

We stayed in a beautiful hotel Ras El Maa owned by a lovely couple that took care of us while we were sick. We couldn’t recommend this place more.

Fez

For some reason we couldn’t help ourselves and we kept comparing Fez to Marrakesh while we stayed there. In many ways these two cities are so similar that it is hard to tell the difference. Sometimes you visit a place you’re just crazy about and you totally connect. Fez felt like a redundancy of Marrakesh, but without the flair of Marrakesh.

 What can you expect when you visit Fez? There is more of the same shopping with rugs, leather goods and spices. Tagine is the typical dish on every menu and you will see a similar city layout and architecture minus the big square. We came up with few things that we found different from Marrakesh.

3 Great unique things about Fez :

1. The Tanneries in Fez are worth visiting. The men who work here have to deal with incredibly harsh conditions. The constant heat of the African sun combined with the repugnant smell of pigeon poop used in the process of making leather, is what they have to deal with everyday. Pigeon poop is used to strip the hide of the hair, which leaves the leather “bleached” and soft.

The Tipsy Gypsies Tip: When you visit the tanneries remember to bring a fresh bundle of mint to help you deal with the smell.

2. Garbanzo bean sandwich was our favorite street food in Fez. Spicy garbanzo beans with fresh lime, drenched in olive oil on a crunchy french roll. It is a must try!

3. Shopping seems a bit less intense than in Marrakesh. The vendors are still trying to make money but they seem as obtrusive about it. 

Marrakesh has been called the Jewel of the South, Paris of Africa or simply the Red City. Marrakesh is unquestionably the most exciting city in Morocco that you should visit. Here are some Tips from The Tipsy Gypsies that hopefully will inspire you to go!

Jemaa el Fnaa aka The Big Square

Jemaa el Fnaa, is a busy and chaotic city center square, which is often referred to as “The Big Square”. It is the most recognized landmark in Marrakesh. Jemaa el Fnaa is where it all begins and ends. Moroccan men standing on the street will constantly try to “guide” you to his shop. If you come here in the evening, you will see many exotic things for tourists like snake charmers, monkeys dressed in doll clothes, henna artists and food vendors but what you can not see in the pictures is the music of the African drums, pipes and the smell of the energy and intensity that this place has. Also from here you can enter the maze of souks. 

The Tipsy Gypsies Tip: Jemaa el Fnaa is also a tourist trap, so watch out for people placing monkeys or snakes on your shoulder for a picture. You will need to pay for it. If you actually want a picture like that make sure you clearly ask for the price first. We witnessed one of the snake charmers telling our friend it was 40 dirham for a picture and then he demanded 400. She ended up paying 100, which was still a rip of.

The Tipsy Gypsies Tip:  If you find yourself lost in the small streets of the medina, ask any shop owner for directions but never ask the guys on the street. These guys are fake “guides” and all they do is try to confuse you. Many of them work in groups and if you get far from a familiar area you will have no choice but to pay them a hefty fee to walk you out to a familiar area. You might get scammed and pay some money to find your way out but in general the city is safe. 

Souks

Laa Shukran , which translates into “No, thank you”, is the most common phrase uttered by tourists in the souks.  In Marrakesh “No” means “Maybe”. It can be a little intense at first walking through the souks and being bombarded with the vendors trying to sell you whatever is in their store. We learned to say ” Maybe…later”, which for some reason worked much better to stop the aggressive salesman from approaching us.

Another thing you need to learn is to bargain in the souks and in Morocco in general. Don’t feel uncomfortable because it is apart of the culture here. Otherwise you might as well say, “take all my money!”. Bargaining is like playing a game and you need to be patient. It might take some time, so don’t shop right before a dinner reservation. Marrakesh is the best place to shop for handmade everything: textiles, fashion, house decorations, art etc. and it is totally worth buying some beautiful and unique crafts from here.

The Tipsy Gypsies Tip: We traveled to Fez, Chefchaouen, Tangier and hands down Marrakesh has the best tourist shopping in Morocco. We also found the prices in Marrakesh to be better compared to the other cities.

 The souks are divided into sections based on the type of craftsmanship. Below are some examples:

Rugs & Textiles

Moroccan rugs are very famous for a good reason. They are handmade, beautifully designed and are great quality. There are a few kinds of rugs you can buy here: sheep wool (the most common), camel wool (expensive) and silk rugs (also pricey). Each rug is unique because the pattern slightly differs depending on the person who made it. Many of these traditional rugs are made by organizations that hire women who are widowed or divorced and otherwise would not have the opportunity to work. But the sad truth is there are also many who claim to sell products made in a co-op but are just trying to overcharge sympathetic tourists so be wary. The Tipsy Gypsies visited one of these co-ops and we learned that rug making is a very hard work. Not only is it strenuous on the back, but it also requires intensive eye focus which is very tiring. For that reason one person will spend only few hours a day making a rug. 

Below are examples of the Moroccan wedding blankets. Traditionally women receive and wear these on their wedding day, but they also look fabulous as a wall decoration or bed spread. 

The spice market

If you have a rash, can’t sleep, you’re missing an arm or your wife/husband is cheating on you, the spice market is the place where you can find a cure. We hope you don’t suffer from all the above because it can get expensive. The spice market is full of spices obviously aromatics and “magic” herbs, cosmetics and tea. You can also buy the famous aragon oil here (be careful because the cheap ones are diluted). In general whether you believe in the super powers of herbs or not, it’s fun to try them out. The vendors are great at explaining what they are used for. 

Blacksmith: lanterns, lamps, trinkets, teapot etc

The Tipsy Gypsies Tip: If you wan to buy a metal teapot for use make sure you select the “heavy weight” one. The light weight teapots are used for decorations. A good quality teapot of smaller size, should be around 150 dirham.

Leather: shoes, bags, puffs and anything leather.

Leather shoes are particularly famous in Morocco. You can get a custom pair of slippers made for about $10-20. We asked for vegan, faux leather shoes, and they actually wanted to sell to us fox shoes(jk).

It is so fascinating to see the whole process of manufacturing in Morocco. For example the leather comes from animals that are butchered, the meat is used for cooking and after that the leather is prepared and auctioned in the morning time and sold to a leather vendor who sells it to the different leather goods makers, like a shoemaker.  The finished product is then sold to the stores. It’s a lot of middle-men, but that way everyone makes a bit of money and has a job. Btw nothing goes to waste in Morocco. Even the scraps from leather instead of being trashed are used to make cool bracelets, key chains and other small decorations.

Hammam

Forget the Swedish massage. When you come to Morocco you must try hammam. Hamman is a bath house with steam rooms where you can get a full body scrub. For Moroccan people hamman is a part huge part of their culture and entire families go to hammams a few times a week. 

You can choose to go to a spa type hamman where you will pay anywhere from 250 dirham and up, or you can go to a public hamman. If you choose to visit the public hamman check the hours first. Men and Women have designated hours when they can enter. There is no nudity allowed, so bring your bathing suit. You can bring your own toiletries or you can purchase them at the hamman. You can also hire a professional for a full body scrub. You skin will feel clean, soft and a bit sore.

This is actually what goes behind the scene of hamman. This guy made sure there is enough steam coming into the hamman. He was burning saw dust, old furniture among other things that people brought in. Again, Nothing goes to waste in Morocco. 

The man working at the hamman was part of the Gnawa tribe and was also a musician. He entertained us with a beautiful song, which was an old tale about a daughter who was kidnapped for a marriage. Her dad went looking for her and singing the song. The man in the picture is wearing the traditionally decorated hat with a hassle on top.  He was making a hypnotizing, circular movement with his head, which the dad in the song did to attract strangers to hear his tragic story about his daughter. 

Baker man is baking bread

Every morning the streets of Marrakesh come to life with people carrying trays of freshly kneaded dough ready to be baked at a local bakery. Women knead the dough at home but the baking process is done in a large communal oven. Morocco has many varieties of bread: from round pita’ish type (Khobz), to spongy (Beghrir) popular with breakfast and pancake fluffy (Msemen or Meloui) often stuffed with onions and spices. They are all delicious.

Food

Don’t be afraid to eat street food while in Morocco. Sure, be careful where you eat but you must try the fresh olives from the market, the Moroccan msemen pancakes stuffed with onions, prickling pears, or freshly squeezed orange juice and of course nuts and dried fruits.

Water in general should be fine too, but if you want to be 100% sure, drink bottled water. Tap water is fine for brushing teeth.

It’s DinnerTime

The name of the game is Tagine. This is the most common dish in Morocco. Tagines are great for both for vegetarians and meat lovers. Moroccans eat a lot of Tagines and so will you. You might get a bit sick of it by the end of your trip, but as soon as you leave you will miss these hot, flavorful dishes. 

The Tipsy Gypsies Tips: a lot of tourists buy the Tagine dishes to bring them home. If you decide to buy one and you intend to cook in it, you must first:

Soak it in cold water for few hours (or overnight), dry it and then oil the Tagine with olive oil  (if it’s unglazed) and put it in a cold oven at 300 F for 2 hours. Wait till it cools and rub the olive oil all over it again.

This process will “cure” the Tagine, otherwise it will crack and break while you bake in it. 

Stay in a Riad

Riads are old traditional Moroccan houses with an interior courtyard or a garden. They are very fun to stay in and learn more about the culture and the customs of the locals. Most of the Riads are also located near the city center, which is a plus. The only negative is that they might be a bit hard to find sometimes, due to the crazy city planning, so make sure you communicate with the owners and get clear directions. Most of the riad host will be also happy to come and greet you at the main street.

The Tipsy Gypsies Tip: We found a great riad/hotel (pictures below) in Marrakesh where we stayed during our second part of the trip, that we absolutely loved.

Riad Les Jardin des Lilas is beautifully designed, professionally staffed, the food is fantastic and they have a great small pool in the courtyard that is always empty. The best part about staying here is that they own a few other bigger riads nearby with bigger pools and you have a full access to use them too. We highly recommend this place!

If you are staying at a riad or a hotel your breakfast will most likely consist of khabz, variety or jams, butter, juice, coffee or tea. Simple but delicious!

Moroccan Tea

Since Morocco is predominantly Muslim and Muslims don’t typically drink alcohol, they came up with a very tasty drink: mint tea. Moroccans often call the tea “Moroccan Whiskey”. Moroccan tea is made with fresh mint leaves and a few scoops of sugar (also good without). It has no caffeine and Moroccans drink this refreshing, aromatic tea all day long. Drinking mint tea in Morocco is almost like a second religion. Everybody will want to welcome you to their home with mint tea. Even when you go shopping the merchants will offer you a cup of tea. 

The tea is served in beautiful metal tea pots which is poured into an ornate glass. 

There is only so much mint tea that you can drink, so if you had enough and you need something stronger read about the secret alcohol that Moroccans drink here.

The Tipsy Gypsies Tip:  We enjoyed our Moroccan tea in a beautiful setting of Dar Cherifa (pic below). This place is gorgeous!

Garden Majorelle

This botanical garden was designed by a French painter Jacques Majorelle, and it is also known as the secret hideout for Yves Saint Laurent and his lover. Yves Saint Laurent purchased the estate in the 80’s and decided to restore it and save it from plans of turning it into a hotel. 

Rooftops

Rooftops are great in Morocco for eating breakfast (if it’s not too hot), sunsets and… watching what the neighbors are up to while hanging their laundry. 

Sunset and drinks

For incredible sunset views and the best happy hour in Marrakesh visit Le Salama. It is the only place in Marrakesch near the old medina where we found a Happy Hour. Food at Le Salama is delicious and the staff is super friendly. Ask for Khalid, the manager, he is the best thing that will happen to you in Marrakesch. Make sure you say “cheers” to him from The Tipsy Gypsies.

While walking in Fez, i had a little boy, he was no older that 5 years old runnign behing me demanding i gave him and his friend a bag of figs I just both. He sure was adorale and he was calling me “hermosa” all the time. I have gave him some furuit to get rid of him, but sure that didnt work. He kept following us yelling “hermosa, hermosa” and after i turned around angryily said “enough, no more” he slapped me on my butt. Yep, a 5 yer old slapped my butt.

STORY 02

This also happened in Fez. We asked our friendly riad host manager (man), if we could do some laundry. He said that the house keepers would have not problem doing our laundry. Ok, great!! They next day, after having nothing to wear, we went to ask for our clothes. The same friendly manager didnt know where it was exaclty but pointed out to the room, where we all went in. There were few piles of clothes laying in different corener of the room. Before I spothes sometime that looked like it coould be my pair of jeand Mohamend was there before me. He proceeded to pick up every single pieces of my claundry inlduing my inimated. Eveyrthing he picked up a pair of color thing he lifted it up, strething it and asked politely with an accent and a big grim ” Is this your”, and evrything time staring blankly i said “yes”. I thik afte rthat excericse he knew my “size” and underwear better than I did.

STORY 03

 I mentined that women are wonderufl in morocco and so are the men. 

We have met a wonderful man, name Khalid in Morocco. Khalid before out best friend in Morocco simply bcause he is a genorous kind mand. My husnad I went there one day durning lunch. I had a bad ear infection from a recent pieercing. Khalid came to our table,doing his job as a manager, aksing about our meal. We said everything was great ( food is amazing at LA Salama) but he turned at me at he could tell something was wrong. I expleaing my ear was hurting. Khalid told us tha he would take us to the pharmacy to help me get some medince, after our meal. Of course at first we thought ” omg, he probably wnats some money” ( btw we didnt mind paing for help), but when we offered to tipp him he refused saying that he want to help and he hopes I get better. ok, i know it so simple, but when you have been huggiing and refusing any help on the steer from starnger becaue youahve been told all the want it moeny. this felt nice and humane. My ear healed fast and our firienship with Khalid grew even faster. He is a womenrul man and a friend!

STORY 04

I felt so stupid trippping falling down on a street in a busy medina, Marakkesh, but let me tell you i have ever had so many men rushed to my rescue. I am only 115 (well maybe 200 lb inlcuding my big ass backapc)  but 20 men lifted me off the ground. They brough water to wash my scratched legs, some suggested to pop y back ( hell no!!) and some wated to take me to a woan massage placae. After decling all the wise the offers many times, and paying the firendly old man for his generosuiy in a shot of Poish vodka that he spoted in the grocery bag that broke while i smahed on the ground, we were free to go. We also lreaned that that that yes, muslims, do drink and we leared what they drink ( stay tuned for out drink blog on Morocco).

STORY 05

this one is a bit hard to tell. I wasnt sure how to wirte this or if i should wite this at all. It is almost a bit painful to wirte this one. We hired a drived in Morocco, who was a friend of a friend. We had a wonderufl time till the first small incident. I take partical blame for it. I jokingly said to our guide after he asked us if we had I good time that I hated him. I am a very sarcatic person and sometimes I forget that saysting thing like that can get lost in a translation. I honeslty didnt even remember when I said that I accidentally insulted him. After hour of explanations what sargasm mean, tear of frustration we got over it and we were best friends again. Our last night, we spend at a camping side. It was a hot day, we decided to eat some food, drink cold beers and hang around the camp site. It got late my husband dozed off next to me in a communical lounge with beds. Some other local ( guide, i am not clear) came to hang out with us. Since beer is in high demand in Morocco, I am sure that was one of the reason he wanted to “talk” to us. He asked for some of my beer. Sure, pal you can have as much as you want I replied. Those who know me, I would share my last beer with you. That is the kind of a gal I am. He was enjoying the beer  holding it for a while under a table. He said i could have it back, which at that point, I didnt feel like taking back. I get paranoid and I thought that maybe he could have “slipped” something into my drink because it was weird that he kept it under the table. I didnt know him and for sanitary reason it didnt appeal to me to drink after him. You are proably thinking why is she saysing all of this. WHat this is all revelant. The two guides ( our) and the stranger started talking in a local langue, I got bored and fell asleep spooning my husband. At no point I let the tent. After sometie our guide woke us up and we all went to our camp site. Once we got tehre shit gets crazy. Our guide accoused me of apparently wanting to have sex with the stranger. When asked how is this possible he responed that he belived the other guy because:

A) the other guy speaks the local language ( berber) and he was very serious and convinving. So basicaly just because i speak english and I am a woman I can not be trusted. WTF!!

B) I offered the other guy my half of beer which apparenlty was interpreted and invitation to sex.WTF!!!

At that point I lost my cool. The whole camp was awake fro my screaming and yelling. The owner of the camp told us that this thign can happen somethimes and they escorted our guide out of the camp

This whole situaton was so crazy I still am trying to piece it together. 

The next morning was SO AKWARD and the guide and our taxi driver were commited to drives us many hour to a bus stop. The guide tried to apologize, said that is not what he meant, that his english is bad, and that he was angry with the other guy. I want to give him a benefit of doubt and belive that this was ost in translation, but the night before his english was perfect. 

Moral of the story. Dont assume you know somebody after few days. Becareful who you drink with becaue not everybody knows how to handle alcohol and some people have “dark” thoughts. I have never been more dissapointed in somebody that clearly had gained my rust. I hope there will be a day in the feature that I will forgive him. Inchallah!!

Morocco is a Muslim country and Muslim’s don’t drink. You probably have heard that line many times. Well, it ain’t true. In fact, Morocco has really good alcohol, but you have to know where and what to look for. Moroccans are also discreet about their drinking. You don’t ever see drunk and loud Moroccans laying on the street harassing people. If you saw anybody in Morocco like that, it was probably us.

The Tipsy Gypsies would like to introduce you to the strongest and the most potent drink in Morocco called Mahia. Mahia is basically a moonshine made from figs or dates. Since Mahia is a moonshine, the best version (or possibly the worst) is the home made stuff. Yeah!! 

The taste of Mahia can vary greatly. Since it’s homemade, there are no “quality” checks. The Tipsy Gypsies drank some Mahia that was smooth and almost liquorish in taste but we also drank some nasty shit that tasted like rocket fuel. So it all depends on who you get it from. The only guarantee is that you will get very drunk and hopefully you wont die.

Where to find Mahia?

The most common scam in Morocco is when people on the street pretend to help you find whatever you are looking for. In Marrakesh these guys are yelling to the tourist : “Hey, the Big Square is this way”. They are referring to Jemaa el Fna, which is the biggest and most touristy square in Marrakesh, surrounded by the souks. Btw, these guys are always lying and trying to confuse you and of course get money. Don’t ever ask these people for help. 

We wish there was a legit service that would point out where to find Mahia. We would pay for that service because finding Mahia is like looking for Waldo. But don’t get discouraged!! You know that you want to get shit faced, and you just have to work for it. Plus, finding Mahia can be a fun and a crazy adventure (story coming soon in our blog ).

The tips below on how to find Mahia, are completely free of charge. We know how it is to be a desperate drunk in Morocco:

1. If you are visiting big cities like Marrakesh or Fez, you will most likely be staying in a riad. A riad is basically a small hotel or B&B. They are very cool, and you should not miss out on this experience. Anyway, we recommend that you become friendly with your riad manager/host or the hotel concierge. After a day or two of playing buddies it should be safe to ask them if they can help you to get some Mahia. In our experience, the host will be more than happy to make the proper arrangements and before you know it, there will be somebody knocking on the door with with a bottle of home brewed Mahia. The first and the best we found was from basically a Marakkaesh drug dealer. Since Mahia is a street or homemade alcohol, which always involves some risk, you want to make sure the source you are getting it from is good. We felt confident that the contact from our riad was solid.

2. Another option is to buy Mahia from the store. We know you guys are probably thinking that we are idiots for buying alcohol from street dealers. Yes we are, but the reality is that finding a liquor store in the city is harder that finding Mahia. Plus, the store brand that we got was very sweet and wasn’t the best Mahia we’ve had. Look for the big supermarket “Carefur”. They sell every liquor that you can imagine. 

3. Cost. 

As always, in Morocco you gotta haggle for everything. We got our first 1/2 of a liter for 70 dirham (about $7-8). The guys wanted to sell it first for 200 dirham.

In the mountains, the price was 130 dirham ($13) for 1.5 liter after lots of negotiating. So that was even a better price but tasted terrible! Regardless, it got the job done and many parties were had.

What if we told you that there is a magical place with lavish green hills covered in flowers and dotted with countless old palaces and castles? This place really exist in Portugal and it is called Sintra. This is not a fairy tale and you should check it out yourself. So keep saving your vacation days and for now you can see beautiful Sintra here!

Sintra is a small touristy town near Lisbon. Going to Sintra from Lisbon by train only takes 50 min and it is an easy day trip.  There is a lot to see in Sintra, so you have to decide how packed  you want your day/days to be. The Tipsy Gypsies visited Sintra two days in a row and this is what we saw:

The Moorish Castle

This medieval castle constructed by the Moors dates back to the 8th and 9th Century. The castle is situated on top of a hill and it served as a defensive fort for the surrounding agricultural population. It is mostly ruins nowadays, but you can imagine what it was like during the days of old. The castle has amazing walls that look like tiny replicas of the “Great Wall of China”.

Pena Palace

Pena Palace built in the Middle ages was originally a quiet monastery occupied by a few monks. The monastery was destroyed in the 18th century, first by lightning and then by an earthquake before crumbling into ruins. It was King Ferdinand II, who finally decided to purchase the monastery and turned it into what it is today, a magnificent palace. 

The interior of the Pena Palace is extremely well preserved and you should definitely see it. Each room has the beautifully intricate ceilings and arches. 

…and below are some details of the furnishings. 

Once you are done with Pena Palace you should walk around the nearby park. One of our favorites was the mini “castle” floating on a lake full of fish and ducks. 

Quinta de la Regaleira

This is a very romantic site with a majestic palace, impressive gardens where you can find hidden grottoes, wells and benches to rest. The whole estate is full of symbols related to alchemy, Masonry and Knights Templar. 

The chapel is another beautiful architectural statement worth visiting in the park. The interior is very well preserved with frescos and paintings that adorn the walls. The stained glass windows are best to see when the sun is setting and the colorful lights change the mood of the interior. Even though this is a Roman Catholic chapel this place is full of non religious symbols like pentagrams and “the all seeing eye”. These symbols mean that people can be spiritual and enlightened at the same time.

The best part of the Quinta da Regaleira is you can spend hours walking around the huge property, learning about the symbols and finding hidden tunnels. You really feel like a happy child running around playing. 

One of the most popular and fascinating places to visit in the park is the Initiation Well. This well is 27 meters deep and it was build in the form of a spiral staircase with small landings. The number of steps is connected to Tarot mysticism.  Like everything else in the park this well for designed for ceremonies like Tarot and never served as a water well. 

There is another smaller well on the Quinta de la Regaleira estate which is worth visiting. This the “Unfinished Well”. 

The Tipsy Gypsies loved Sintra and we hope we convinced to you visit this magical place. Let us know if you have any questions!

Lisbon is simply sensational. Whether you are a foodie, music and art lover, or someone who just likes to wander, this city has something for everybody.  Here are 10 things The Tipsy Gypsies loved most about Lisbon.

1. The Streets of Lisbon

Colorful alley ways with small stoops and painted doors. When you walk through the small windy streets you will be constantly amazed by what’s around the corner.

2. The Tiles

Portugal is known for its production of the most amazing ceramics in the world. Many old exterior buildings are covered with these beautiful and colorful tiles. Tile making is still considered a very prestigious job and the artists spends decades perfecting their craft.

While walking through the city we stumbled into a small tile studio.  The artist/owner welcomed us in to watch her process.

Tile Shop and Studio: Cristina Pina

https://www.facebook.com/ceramicacristinapina?__mref=message

3. Transportation

When you visit Lisbon make sure you ride the famous graffiti covered tram Elevador da Glória (picture below) or the historic Tram 28.

4. Pastel De Nata

This egg tart pastry is the most popular dessert in Portugal. They are perfectly golden-yellow in color, with a crunchy outside and soft buttery center. If you can, try to get a fresh warm Pastel de Nate straight form the oven. Enjoy it with a cup of tea or coffee. 

5. Sidewalk cafes

Summers in Lisbon are beautiful. The trees are green and the flowers are blooming. The city is buzzing with tourists from all over the world. It seems like every street and ally is decorated with colorful garlands or some sort of artwork. Endless cafes and restaurants fill the city with menus and smells that you can’t resist. Sitting in a charming side walk cafe while sipping on chilled sangria is a nice way to take a short break from exploring. 

6. Time Out Market

This is probably the best spot in Lisbon to meet friends for lunch and drinks. The Time Out market brings the best chefs from the city together to deliver gourmet food without the stiff attitude of high-end restaurants. This place has communal tables and a fun atmosphere. Even the most picky eaters can find something delicious to eat here.

7. Bifana Sandwich

One of the best and cheapest things to eat in Lisbon. Bifana is a simple pork sandwich served with mustard and chili oil. At a cost of about $1.50 you should have enough change left over to wash it down with an ice cold beer. And you know it’s damn good if Anthony Bourdain says he can’t get enough of them.

Where to eat it: O Trevo restuarant

Address: Praca Luis de Camoes 48, Lisbon

8. Fado Music

Fado is more than just music for the Portuguese people. It’s been referred to as the Portuguese blues. It’s tragic, it’s emotional and even if you don’t understand the words you will feel it. The best place to eat some hot, flaming sausage and listen to live fado singers is A Tasca de Chico. Make sure to make a reservation. This place gets crazy crowded. 

Where: A Tasca do Chico                                                                                                        Address: R. do Diario de Noticias 39, 1200-333 Lisbon, Portugal

9. Ginjinha

A cheery liquor served in a regular or chocolate shot glass. Need we say anymore? If so, click here! 

10. People

Portuguese people are the most friendly and open folks you will ever meet when traveling. The Tipsy Gypsies believe this country is beautiful not only because of the scenery but the people’s hospitality. Btw, this man’s real name was Casanova and he lived up to it too!!!

Like Port wine is famous in Porto, Lisbon has it’s own alcohol which it is famous for. It’s Ginginha (Ginjinha). A sweet cherry liquor. The Tipsy Gypsies have a lot of respect for traditions, especially the drinking ones, and we were told that it would be rude not to try the Ginginha, while in Portugal.  

Ginginha is hard to pronounce, but luckily for you Lisbon has many little bars, where all they serve is Ginja. Simply walk in and say how many you want.

How to drink Ginja? You can choose to drink Ginja from a frozen chocolate shot or a regular glass. With a cherry, or without. It’s up to you! 

The verdict? One of us liked it, the other didn’t. It’s VERYYY sweet. It tasted a bit like the cherry liquor my Tipsy Gypsy grandma used to hide in her pantry.

We suggest indulging in a glass after dinner. The sweet little shot makes for a nice dessert and night cap. Whether you’re a fan of sweet drinks or not, you must try it to insure a true Lisbon experience!