Consider us your own personal shopping gurus

So traveling to a foreign country is a new experience for us... in fact, since our families live so far away from our state of choice... the DiCocco family has only ever been on one vacation on our own that required any planning... and even that was to a place I had been to on a class project the year before. We are finding, this last week as everything vamps up before we leave, that this traveling abroad proves to have many details to muss over.

What kind of car do we rent?
Would the Opel Zafira be sufficient or is the Sharan VW a better choice?
Do we take the daily anti-malaria medication or the weekly? (Knowing full well that the weekly made Billy sick when he went last time, but the daily is so hard to remember.)
Should I , being a photographer and all, rely on my big, flashy gear to document our trip and chance missing beautiful shots because my camera just isn't discrete at all. Or do I spend money that we could be using toward our plane tickets on buying yet another camera...a tiny one that will allow me to shoot in the moment and without a lot of "press coverage" feeling?

and not to get lost in the shuffle... the question of the hour...

What kind of power bars do we bring?

You've done this too... haven't you? You might not have been going out of the country for three weeks.. but I know you have stood in front of that endless row filled with cases and cases of nutritional bars and felt overcome with befuddledness. They all boast of their ability to bring you to great health and longevity in 10 scrumptious bites... but you aren't quite sure the wrappers don't lie. Let's be honest here...it's a gamble. Experience tells us that most of them actually taste pretty bad and who wants to spend $2 on that one lousy bite before depositing the entire awful thing into the nearest trash... and ending up still hungry?

We came home with quite a selection to do some tasting before we loaded up with a few to take along to Africa. And here, as our love gift to you... we will share our knowledge over the next couple of days as we munch through our samplings.

Boomi Bar - Healthy Hazel
This one is definitely health food. Not very sweet, incredibly textured. Basically nuts and fruit compacted together into a block of... well, a block of nuts and fruit. I would buy this one again, and would even eat it . I don't know if I would like it any more than I did this time.... but somehow it felt clean and strong and that is good all in itself.

Bumble Bar - Chocolate
Here is where the sesame seeds DO show up... by the millions they have all migrated into this random pool of chocolate and ended up solidified into my bumble bar. Harrison says "It kind of has a chocolatey taste... but I'd say it could be a little better. These seeds sure are poppy!" Yes, Harrison, I agree.

Pure - Apple Cinnamon bar

Last one for today and certain to change all your prejudices against nutritional bars! This tiny little bar has won my affections now and forever-more. Totally organic, totally raw, filled with dates, apples, walnuts, cashews, almonds and of course, cinnamon... (and something called "agave nectar"... I have no idea what it is, but it sounds exotic and must be amazingly delicious ). I kept waiting for that dry power-bar aftertaste to kick in... but this totally surprised me. A tiny tartness flooded by sweet and gooey and cinnamon. I don't know if I could eat this for lunch- but this gluten free girl will never have to skip having apple pie for dessert again!

More to come another day... add to the wealth of knowledge if you have a favorite (or one to absolutely avoid!!) . We'll keep munching over here in dicoccoville! See you tomorrow.