We felt that we had lost so much time due to the pandemic. During our trip to Scotland, I decided that we'd do a private Scotch based tour with our own driver. Sean, our wonderful driver picked us up at exactly 9 am And we were off. We'd be spending the night in Oban, then two nights on Islay, visiting several distilleries.
But first we had to get there. Sean made a couple of stops on the way to Oban.
The first was outside Fallkirk at a huge park between two canals. There stood two huge and magnificent sculptures of horse heads called the Kelpies. These 100 foot high metal sculptures represent mythical shape shifting creatures called Kelpies which often take the form of a horse or pony. They can also take the form of a human, often a young woman to lure young men to their "fate". More often it would be in the shape of a pony to lure children.
These statues were quite large. To the right is the Missus standing under the nostrils of "the Kelpie". Just think, what a simple booger from that nostril would do!
From here we headed to Loch Lomond considered to be the largest lake by total area in all of the UK.
We took a short break to stretch our legs and admire the picturesque village of Luss.
Luss is a Conservation Village and is quite charming and beautiful.
We walked thru the village and over to the pier which had many memorials on it.
I can imagine how many loved sitting and standing looking out into the Loch or over to the shore…..
We then headed back out……
Our stop for lunch was at a place in Inverarnan, said to be once be the home to outlaws and even the ghost of a small girl named the Drovers Inn.
The Drover Inn, a "drover" is a cattle herder has been here for over 300 years. And while we stopped for lunch….well, many of the "creatures" on display would surely have enjoyed having me for their lunch.
It goes without saying that there was indeed a certain "vibe" to the place.
The pub had quite the menu of comfort dishes and I got to choose something I've always wanted to try. Folks of Scottish heritage that I know or knew would always make fun of the dish.
You basically ordered at the bar….this is very much the pub and soon enough, I got my Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties…..if you need a translation, sheep's "pluck" with oatmeal, onion, and spices, cooked in a casing. Served with "neeps" (turnips) and "tatties" (mashed potatoes). This was quite delicious, even the Missus thought so.
The offal flavor is quite mild, it's quite earthy and savory, tasting like a milder version of morcilla. I really enjoyed it.
The Missus ordered the Venison Stew which was really tough and quite bland.
So, I guess the Haggis won out!
There was a certain charm and sense of humor we found in Scotland that we really enjoyed. It is said that Rob Roy himself stayed here at Drovers Inn…..perhaps he enjoyed the Haggis too?
And hopefully, I'll be getting some good haggis again one day soon!
The Drovers Inn
Inverarnan North Loch Lomond, Arrochar
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park G83 7DX Scotland
As I walked toward the shop I noticed several gentleman sitting facing the front of the store and then noticed that they have a television facing the parking lot, so folks can watch from outside of the place! Funny thing. Though I'm quite used to the Vietnamese Men "doing coffee" thing…..I don't ever recall seeing them watching Paw Patrol before, which is what was streaming at the time I entered the shop.
The bread seemed to be at that overly dry, almost stale stage as it was quite crumbly and hard. Check out all the cilantro, that wedge of cucumber, and all those pickled veggies! I guess they wanted to make I was getting my daily allowance here! Of course that threw the balance of the banh mi off a bit. The jalapenos weren't overly spicy, the pate nice and funky, the Cha Lua sliced super thin, and the Thịt Nguoi standard issue. 
Yikes. Well, the chicken was nice and moist, but the skin lacked color, was really rubbery, and worst of all the whole thing lacked flavor. I mean it really lacked flavor. Like I've said before, I really can't call this Kai Yaang. Strange thing is, I've made recipes from Su-Mei Yu's cookbook and things have turned out well. In fact, there's a "Gai Yang" recipe in 
They closed on August 21st and the signage is already down.
And I've got quite a history with them; from the days at 
It's the unit between 
At the curve in the alleyway stood a little gelato shop. The Missus and I decided to take a short break here.
Good lord, this was so delici-yoso, perfectly roasted, the bones were bursting with buttery-beefy marrow, which just melted in your mouth. A perfect amount of salt and the herbs added layers of flavor. This was so darn good, that we immediately made reservations to return on our last night in Guanajuato.
The Missus enjoyed the wine selection and the service was professional and accommodating.
The eggs were perfectly cooked, nice tanginess, a bit of heat, a nice, hearty breakfast.
Most of this museum is dedicated to it's former resident; 
did a quick lookback…and geez, 
Sadly, the best thing about this lunch set was the okara salad of which there was a scant tablespoon and the miso soup, which was pretty good, as it always has been.
I bit into a piece, which was really salty; it had been sitting in the marinade too long and it was super dry and tough. In fact, the first thought that came into my mind was; "I ordered buta kakuni….not pork jerky".
So, how did this 
We had requested to sit on the patio again. Same relaxed and friendly service. A lot of the Servers were wearing "Franch" t-shorts…..Bell's say they serve Fr(ench R)anch cuisine. 
Just the perfect cut, the beef was super tender, like the night before, all items were perfectly seasoned. Perfect amount of capers, and that egg yolk, oh my! This was just so clean tasting and refreshing.
Well, with how gas prices were at this time, and how mediocre the meal was….there was no way I'd be able to talk the Missus into either a takeout or dining in visit. Just when I was about to delete my photos Calvin wanted to get some lunch….guess where?
