IN THE HAMPTONS ~ THE AMERICAN HOTEL

The American Hotel, Sag Harbor, NY

When not traveling and sharing our experiences around the world, one of the places we spend a lot of time is on the South Fork of Long Island, NY. This is taken up largely by an area that has a few names, most locals know it as the East End, others know it as The Hamptons.

We have had many dinners and good times in the American Hotel dining room. We recently were invited to a wine tasting, except it was a tasting of amazingly delicious Amara’s as you can see from the photo below. The name of each is under the glass. You can drink them straight or over ice, or in a margarita, manhattan, my favorite was a frothy gin fizz.

All of this is the watch of the third Don. They are generational crafters of a range of Italian Herbal Liqueurs, from the bitter to the sweet. Born in the old country 135 years ago, now reborn in the USA. Check out their website for much more information.

Under each glass is the name of the particular Amara.

This was my favorite.

The American Hotel was built in 1846 at the height of the Whaling era. The Hotel is an elegant run establishment with an inimitable edge and character. There are eight guest rooms, mainly appointed with American antiques, a benchmark Long Island restaurant with an award-winning wine list, long known as the place for the best cigars, (even if smoking is no longer allowed indoors,) the liveliest clientele and hub of cultural and political denizens gather here.

The Hotel is know for holding great events, and has nightly specials on the menu, you can check out their website or sign up for their newsletter for a schedule. The American Hotel

On The Road ~ Whistler Canada #12

Where to Eat in Whistler

Araxi Restaurant and Oyster Bar, in the Whistler Village Square

Executive Chef James Walt was an early pioneer of farm to table dining. Menus are seasonally focused celebrating the locally sourced ingredients. Above is the follow up to his James Beard award winning cookbook.

Loved this beet salad

Oysters

Very interesting flavor, butter in the middle of the olive oil. Bread was great.

Angus Reserve Tenderloin with BC potato croquette, butter glazed Pemberton carrots, ruby port sauce and grilled chimichurri.

Wild BC Sablefish, glazed with sake and soy, served with scallions, shiitake mushrooms, radish and bok choy in smoked lemongrass dashi broth.

Shadow Art

On The Road ~ Whistler Canada #11

We have arrived at Whistler, what a beautiful ride getting here. The Whistler Olympic Park was the location of the Nordic events facilities for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

 

On The Road ~ To Whistler Canada #3

Seattle, one of my favorite cities in the US…. it’s chilly and windy today, so we are off to see the amazing Chihuly Garden and Glass Exhibit in the Seattle Center. When in Seattle, this is a must see. Dale Chihuly is a true genius.

On a The Road ~ Colca Peru 21

The Colca Lodge, beautiful and peaceful.

Meet some friends

Real flowers not embroidery

Bringing fresh herbs and veggies to the kitchen.

Welcome to Colca Lodge… his name translates to Julius Caesar.

Lunch by the the hot springs.

Assorted tastes for bread

Chicken crusted with quinoa, French fries and spicy sauce.

 

On The Road ~ To Colca Canyon Peru 20

This Canyon is reported to be one of the deepest in the world, reaching a depth of 4,160 meters (12,939 feet) it is located northwest of Arequipa.

We are headed to Colca Lodge Spa & Hot Springs

Altitude 11,000 feet

My suggestion is to NOT choose the scenic route, take the highway and that should be about two and a half hours by car or bus. As opposed to seven and a half over several mountain ranges. Though we did see the salt flats and a dam, without the help of many people, we might still be up in the mountains. 😬

Endless mountain ranges and valleys we crossed.

Salt Flats

Alpaca crossing

Below are kind people who gave us directions along the way.

A local shepherd

The dam, we almost freaked, there was a locked gate blocking our way. Finally a lovely man came out, gave us directions, opened the gate and in ten mins we were lost again.

This young man literally saved us, he went out of his way to get us out of the mountains and to the highway. A blessing.

Its getting late we are on the highway and have another hour and a half to our destination.

This is the highest altitude we got to.

Getting closer.

We made it, we are in the parking lot of  Colca Lodge 🙏🏻

On The Road ~ Arequipa Peru 19

Where to eat in Arequipa Peru

Start at the bar with a special Arequipa craft Pisces served with herbs and fruits. This one has Pisces, blackberry, tangerine and black pepper. Awesome

Seasood Sarza – Sea urchins, octopus tolina and limpets in onion and tomato sarza.

White Corn Tamale – Filled with pork adobo, served with onion sarza

Chupa – They say this is their proudest dish. River shrimp soup, with potatoes, fave beans, cabbage huacatay herb and a sprinkle of milk.

 

 

Jumbo Shrimp- Crispy  jumbo river shrimps, served with roasted potatoes and criolle sauce.

 

On The Road ~ Arequipa Peru 18

We spent a good part of the afternoon at the Santa Catalina Monastery

The Monastery of Saint Catherine (Spanish: Santa Catalina) is a monastery of nuns of the Dominican Second Order.

It was built in 1579 and was enlarged in the 17th century. The over 20,000-square-meter monastery was built predominantly in the Mudéjar style, and is characterized by its vividly painted walls. There are approximately 20 nuns currently living in the northern corner of the complex; the rest of the monastery is open to the public.

 

On The Road ~ Arequipa Peru 17

We have made it to the border between Chile and Peru, the next leg of our road trip is about to begin.

Welcome to Arequipa Peru.

Arequipa is the colonial-era capital of Peru’s Arequipa Region. Framed by 3 volcanoes, it’s filled with baroque buildings constructed from sillar, a white volcanic stone. Its historic center is anchored by the Plaza de Armas, a stately main square flanked on its north by the 17th-century neoclassical Basilica…
Elevation:
2,335 m

Lama are descendants of the camel.

Shopping

eating

Sights in town.

 

On The Road ~ Driving to Peru 16

Leaving Atacama, six hour car rode, hour and a half plane ride. Over several beautiful mountain ranges.

Below is a National Monument , The Atacama Giant.
The Atacama Giant (Spanish: Gigante de Atacama) is a large anthropomorphic geoglyph in the Atacama Desert, Chile.[1] Located at “Cerro Unitas”, this is the largest prehistoric anthropomorphic figure in the world with a height of 119 metres (390 ft) and represents a deity for the local inhabitants from AD 1000 to 1400.

The figure was an early astronomical calendar for knowing where the moon would set; by knowing this the day, crop cycle, and season could be determined. The points on the top and side of the head would say what season it would be depending on their alignment with the moon, which was very important in determining when the rainy season would come in the barren Atacama.

The Atacama Giant is one out of nearly 5,000 geoglyphs – ancient artwork that are drawn into the landscape – that have been discovered in the Atacama in the last three decades.[2] Although geoglyphs have always been the subject of wild conjectures and bizarre theories, it is now widely believed that they are the work of several successive cultures that dwelt in this region of South America, including the Tiwanaku and Inca.