Tijuana to LA

The turnstile of no return into the US of A

After playing a super fun set in Tijuana, Mexico our short Mexican tour was over.  We made some new friends and got to hang out with some old ones that we met on our last tour there in '08.  After the show the promoter arranged a ride for all of our gear across the border to San Diego and we got driven to the area where we just walk across as foot passengers since the line for traffic was well over two hours even though it was already past midnight.  It all seemed a little surreal and a tad sketchy but ended up being a breeze getting through.  On the other side we had a driver that took us to our hotel near LAX in LA since we were flying out of there later the next day.  All in all it made for a long day since we had flown out of Monterey earlier that morning and we slept like babies.
I woke up that morning and as I usually do when I'm out of town used my VegOut app to see if there was anything nearby to eat at.  To my surprise there was this place called Veg-It-Up only a 5-10 minute walk from our hotel.  Before we got there were trying to figure out how we would get to some of our favourite spots in the area like Veggie Grill and Native Foods since we did not have our own wheels this time around but having this place right around the corner was perfect.

They opened at 11am so I went down there as soon as they opened and got the Strawberry Blend Smoothie and Tacos Al Carbon.  Smoothie was great and the faux steak was seasoned perfectly.  I could have easily ordered another three but I had the upper hand on my gluttony this time around.  I have a tendency to over eat.  Not everything here is vegan but there is more than enough options to keep it interesting for a while.  I ended up going back right before our flight and getting the Ultimate Burger with the Chik'n patty which was awesome as well.  Totally forgot to take a pic of it though.

 Strawberry Blend Smoothie and Tacos Al Carbon

After that it was off to LAX to catch the redeye to Toronto to start our mini tour in Ontario and Quebec. Good times ahead for sure

Monterey, Mexico

Yesterday we left Guadalajara for Monterey.  We landed, checked into our hotel and then it was time to get some food.  I'm not to up on my Hare Krishna knowledge but I do know that anytime you stumble upon a restaurant of cafe with the name Govinda('s) you will not have to worry about leaving hungry.  In my experience a lot or maybe even most of them have an 'all you can eat' type of buffet.  All but one item in the buffet was vegan so for 60 pesos which is about $5 it was easily worth the money spent.  On one side they had a large salad making section, which is what I always try to fill up on before I hit the cooked food, and then on the other side they had some pastas, faux meat, mashed potatoes Indian types of appetizers.  I once again overate and did not need to eat anything until after the show.

peta2.de interview from last year

Here's an interview I did with Nessi a few months ago in Berlin, Germany

Mexico tour thus far

After our South America tour with Sick of it all earlier this month we proceeded onward to Mexico to do a short four show stint here. We got into Mexico City on the 22nd and had some time to kill before it started on the 24th. What's the first thing a traveling vegan will usually do when they arrive somewhere somewhat unfamiliar? Either go to happycow.net or if you have an iPhone, check out the VegOut app which is a quick way to see what kind of options are nearby.

The first place we checked out was Nirvana. For 75 pesos which is just over $6 you couldn't go wrong. It was a medium sized buffet with a good amount of options to make salads, had fruit, soup, faux meat and some Mexican dishes as well as fresh fruit juices all included in the buffet with only one item not being vegan. Not bad at all. They also change it up a bit everyday which is cool. I went twice and was stoked on it both times.

The second place I checked out was Yug Vegetariano. It's located right in the hustle and bustle of the area by the 'Angel of Independence' monument. My understanding is that this is one of the oldest vegetarian restaurants in the city and has been around since 1963. It has an interesting setup.

On the first floor from morning till evening they have a regular menu you can order from. On the second floor they have a buffet that is open from 1-5pm. I find the hours a little odd but I'm sure they have their reason. Unfortunately it wasn't as vegan friendly as Nirvana but still have a decent amount of items in the buffet that were vegan. I believe theirs changes everyday as well as I remembering eating there 3 years ago and there being a lot more to chose from.

The third vegetarian joint we checked out was just before our show in Mexico City at a place called Gold Taco. They were just about to close as we rolled up but our promoter friend talked them into staying open just a bit longer for us foreigners and I'm glad they did. This may have been my favourite of the three. I had three faux chicharon tacos and two tamales that were to die for. Everyone kept on ordering seconds and thirds. So good!

As far as the shows have gone so far, Mexico City and Guadalajara were amazing. So many kids singing along and taking over the stage. In fact I think last night in Guadalajara was one of the hottest, sweatiest shows we've played. Monterey tonight!

Can't help but ♥ Mexico

I really don't know what I'm doing but...

For some time now I've pondered the idea of having a blog that combines my love of tour life with the up and down adventures of being vegan on the road. Having played in over 40 different countries in the wold I'm frequently asked how hard it is being vegan on the road. I'm also a big fan of being in the kitchen so when I'm home I'll be more than likely sharing what I'm up to in the kitchen from time to time.

I'm also quite opinionated when it comes to different politics, animal rights and such and feel this might be as good a place as any to leave my random musings about that and other observations of our dysfunctional society that I need to get off my chest. That being said, I'm most certainly down for feedback on what would make this a better blog as I'm obviously new to this world, am not a professional writer and don't have a real point of reference.