Welcome to www.letsgoloolala.com

Now that sounds just like my kind of place –the name reminded me of that village in Tipperary Puckane or Pocán in Gaeilge with the traditional Irish cottages complete with turf fires (and discreet dishwashers). After a day in the sticks (that means way out in the countryside) –Rancho de Caballeros -which friend had booked on the internet-perfect for some but not for The Galway Girl for whom paradise minus the internet is not enough-it was time to move on. Still Pucón was waiting in the person of Carlos who was hunting down anyone with a cúpla focail (a few words in Irish ) on which to practise his Gaeilge. We got talking about pet names-mine is Pogue and translated from Gaeilge it means Kiss. I was blown away to discover that Carlos who has never been to Ireland knew already what my pet name meant and more! Well done Carlos it’s not everyone who knows that Irish term of endearment -Póg Mo Thóin .

Travel Tip

A cúpla focail is handy. The Irish diaspora is everywhere. And much to my surprise diaspora isn’t an Irish word at all, at all. We just like the sound of it.

*Gaelgoers are enthusiastic speakers of the Irish language and culture,as in very!

*Diaspora is a group that has been dispersed outside the homeland

*cúpla focail means a few words in Irish/Gaeilge

If you know of a favourite term of endearment in your language please share it!

If you have travel tips/info/stories or have been to Pucón please comment below

Welcome to www.letsgoloolala.com

Soon after my arrival in Chile that tune I learned in school was running through my head-finiculi finicula finiculi finicula  probably because I ascended into the heavenly heights  of Cerro San Cristobal via a fairly rickety mode of transport known as a funicular.

Travel Tip 1

If you want to be part of the madding crowd book a Sunday ticket but if you want to recline in peace and quiet at the top and lie by the more exclusive of the two swimming pools book for a weekday. The view is spectacular.

Did I mention already that I’m a scuba diving instructor and water safety is top of my list but when you’re busy talking a different language sometimes the most obvious things go right over your head like large flags. I suppose red means danger in any language but being in the holiday mood I was not seeing red on arrival to the beach at Vina del Mar. The locals were certainly in holiday mode and before I knew it I was chasing waves with the best of them. It was fast and exhilarating at first but after a few tumbles and being dragged along like a rag doll (with bones) and clutching at straws (that turned out to be the bones of the indigenous folk) I decided it to call it a day  and hop on the bus Gus back to Valparaiso.

Travel Tip 2

Don’t overdo it as you smell the roses-you might forget to check the flag of the day.

Did you know that the song  Finiculi Finicula was penned by Peppino Turco in 1880 to celebrate the 1st Funicular in the vicinity of Vesuvius, (Italy for those about to Google it) -and expresses the joy of travelling “in an exhilarating manner to the sky.” On the other hand Hop on the bus Gus is a line from Simon and Garfunkel’s Fifty Ways to Lose Your Lover. And madding associated with The Thomas Hardy book and now associated  with the 1967 film by the same name  starring Julie Christie and Terence Stamp means frenzied.

If you have any travel tips/info  or have been to Chile please comment below

Welcome to www.letsgoloolala.com

It’a busy day in the neighbourhood so with a toss of a coin I head for the countryside and hey presto I’m at the door of the Baco hostel in Maipu –a little village close to the winery trail. Hey Presto is one of those dodgy clichés and Bacchus is the god of wine.

So what has Maipu got to offer?

• They’re digging for gold there.
• They have daily pub crawls en bicicletta
• The family run hostel have in-house entertainment featuring Jorge in drag and drinks on the house (wine on tap!)
• Mate pronounced Ma Tay  or Ma Tae refers to the traditional herbal drink and if you want to be remembered with affection you might kill an oul’ mug of mate with the folks

Travel Tip

If you do negotiate the wineries en bicicletta just remember it’s red wine, probably midday sun and cycling requires a modicum of skill and stability

*modicum= a moderate amount

*hey presto= suddenly as if by magic

*maté from the word matar means to kill or alternatively a traditional herbal drink pronounced matay

If you have any travel tips, info, stories, or have been to Argentina please comment below

Ok so this time  my friend had booked the accommodation online. Sure what did we need only 2 beds 2 pillows a lock for our valuables and a bit of an ensuite thrown in.

And what did we get? A new word for our vocabulary

-M A T R I M O N I O.

We stated firmly that we wanted mattresses not MATRIMONIO . For once our combined charms just weren’t working-we had to steel ourselves, gesticulate wildly and eventually resort to a long silence. Finally the boss remembered , two single beds were prised apart and so began our first night’s sleep in Buenos Aires.

Travel Tip 1

In the event of some apparent language barrier do try a long silence-it

usually works. P.S. We did get the lock for our valuables but that wasn’t enough for my friend . Did you ever lock yourself out of your house and you knew exactly where the key was? Well she locked herself out of her travel bag

Travel Tip 2

Don’t do it!

Travel Tip 3

If you’re looking for a double-bed try Matrimonio –starting with  the Latin countries

If you have any travel tips stories info or have been to Argentina please comment below

L oolala’s

E ntertaining

T ravel

S tories

G o

O nline

My name is Loolala. I’m a flirty little fish who likes going places.  I teach scuba –diving and when I’m not instructing sub-aqua I can meet you online at http:// www.letsgoloolala.com

Some people dream of beaches and blue seas. That’s home for me so usually I go in search of something different. I’m also a fickle little fish, which helps as my different guises enable me to move about much the same as you do.

Want to share your travel stories? Are you planning a trip? You can check to see if Loolala has been there?