I didn't leave too terribly much time to cruise up through Chile, because I was meeting up with Lexi in Southern Bolivia.
Santiago is a wonderful city but after visiting Buenos Aires (by far the greatest city in Latin America) Santiago seemed a bit dry. I did all the sites in a short 3 days and had plenty of time to relax and catch up with some girls I had met in Rio.
Early one Saturday morning me and 14 other lunatics loaded up in a 15 seater bus and headed north for the Atacama desert.
I had a limited amount of time in Chile and decided that a tour through the northern part of Chile would be my best bet for seeing the most in a limited amount of time.
The first day was mostly driving to the beach town of La Serena. There wasn't much to see along the way except the endless Pan-American highway. I was the only one on the bus who stayed awake for the whole time. This is one thing I would learn quickly...take advantage of time to sleep, because the next week would provide little time for it.
The town of La Serena has about a billion churches and not much else. A kid from Palo Alto, CA and I cruised around town and decided the only thing to do there was get drunk.
By the time we met up with everyone else for dinner we were several pisco sours deep and eventually peer pressured everyone else to catch up.
I was sharing my room that night with a really strange woman from Greece. She had decided to go to bed at 8pm, so when I rolled in at 2am, I tried my hardest to keep quite. Unfortunately whenever you try to be quite you make the most noise. I entered the room by tripping and flying straight over my backpack into the night stand. I then decided to take a shower and right as I hopped in I let out a squeal because there was absolutely no hot water. A problem that would plague me well into Bolivia.
My wake up call came at 5:30am when crazy greek lady decided to get up and repack her entire bag.
Fortunately I was still drunk when I got on the bus at 7:30a and was able to sleep right through the hangover.
North of La Serena the desert begins. The vegetation disappears and all you see for miles and miles is rocks and sand.
By the afternoon of the second day we arrived at National Reserve of Pinguino de Humboldt. Here we took a boat ride to Isla Damas and Isla Choros where we saw sea lions, penguins and hundreds of dolphins. (This may be an exaggeration) We parked on one of the islands for lunch and enjoyed some fabulous weather and a great picnic.
Our next stop was in Bahia Inglesa where we rented cabins and hung out for a few days. Our cabin, shared by myself and 4 other boys, was pretty small and cozy. (and by the time we checked out reeked of boy.) The 5 of us shared drinking games, travel stories and plans for the future.
It's amazing how quickly you can become close to other people and how much you can learn about someone in a few days. When I separated from these guys a few days later I literally felt like they were old friends from back home.
After no rest, but a lot of fun, in Bahia Inglesa we continued out trip north to Antofagasta. The Antofagasta region is one of the driest places on earth and in some portions hasn't rained in over 50 years.
Antofagasta is Chile's second biggest city with about 400,000 people, a far cry from the 6 million in Santiago. Besides the mining industry there isn't much going on in Antofagasta. La Portada, a natural cliff formation in the ocean is about all Antofagasta can offer to tourists.
From Antofagasta we headed to San Pedro de Atacama, my final destination in Chile. While the scenery is all the same heading to San Pedro, I found something very beautiful about it; so different to the lush pacific northwest that I left behind.
We made several stops on the way to San Pedro, one at a train grave yard where the trains, which were abandoned at the beginning of the century, have not yet begun to rust because there is no rain or moisture in the air. The other stop was this giant statue of a hand that is literally in the middle of fucking no where. I think the artist was going for a 'helping hand to the people trying to survive in the desert' theme, but as we saw at a stop off at a graveyard of a community that attempts to live off the land in the middle of the desert, these people need a hell of a lot more that some giant fucking hand scupture.
Arriving in San Pedro the landscape changes again, but this time into beautiful salt flats and salt formations. We spent the afternoon in a small oasis town of Peine. We picniced by some natural pools and then cooled off in the freezing water from the Andes that fill the pools.
That night we watched the sunset at a pink flamingo reserve. I snapped about 6 million phots, trying to get the flamingos in flight with the sunset in the background. no luck though.
Besides the fact that San Pedro was pretty hard on a tourist's wallet, they have some great sights and a nightlife that I had been lacking since Santiago.
A few days later I would load up again into a 4x4 this time and cross the great salt flats of Bolivia.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Monday, May 07, 2007
The end of the world and back up
I had heard that visiting Ushuaia, the southern most city in the world, was an amazing experience but I had no idea how absolutely beautiful the landscapes would be.
Our trip down to Ushuaia was kind of a nightmare because stupid Argentinas Aerolinas cancelled our flight without telling us. We therefore spent an extra day in Buenos Aires which meant one less day in Ushuaia.
I don't think my body was prepared for the shocking weather change, from 70 degrees to about 35 degrees. I didn't even pack a heavy coat for the trip! Luckily almost everywhere was heated.
We spent the first afternoon in Ushuaia planning out the rest of our stay. Our days were jammed packed with activities such as a boat ride through the Beagle Channel that afforded stunning views of the snowcapped mountains. We also took a scenic flight out to the glaciers and through the mountains. The pilot actually let Dave fly the plane for a few minutes. (Dave then proceeded to talk/brag about his flying of the plane and how he was practically a pilot now for the rest of the day) The views were so spectacular and being up in the air, able to see out for miles, (because of the fantastic sunny weather we had the entire time we were there) you really got the feeling that this was the end of the line.
I wish I could more accurately describe the beauty. It's something I don't even think my pictures do justice.
Our last full day in Ushuaia we went on 4x4 trip through the forest and out to a peninsula for an amazing traditional Argentine BBQ. The driver of the 4x4 was kind of a lunatic and at one point put the land rover in cruise control, got out and went to the back window and pretended to push the car with his pinky. While it was really funny, I was definitely worrying the whole time but we were going to crash into a tree. While the guy was a lunatic, he had done the trip enough times to know what he was doing, so we were fine.
For lunch we sat in a little shelter on a pebble beach and ate some of the best sausage and steak I have ever had in my life. The company was great too and it was a great end to an amazing journey to the end of the world.
After a week stay in Bariloche, the northern border of Patagonia, and a very teary goodbye to Dave I took a bus boat combo across the border and entered Chile. The trip took the entire day but had such breathtaking scenery that time just flew by.
Chile far exceeded my expectations. I only allowed a bit over 2 weeks to tour the country and upon departing realized I could have easily spent a month there. The land space, just like Argentina, is so diverse. It has everything from desert to glaciers and to top it off an amazing wine country.
After a full day dedicated to planning, responding to emails and uploading millions of pics, I was off the next morning to the Chilean wine country. I only visited one winery, but was very pleased with my choice. I visited the Balduzzi winery in the Maule Valley. Balduzzi produces Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere and a 'Late Harvest' blend that if I had unlimited space in my backpack, I would have loaded up with.
I found an excellent hostel in Santiago, and for the next few days explored the city. To be honest there wasn't much to see in Santiago, but it was so nice to be back in a big city. Even though all major cities are different there is something so comforting and familiar about large cities. I almost find it a relief to make it to one.
On Saturday I began a crazy trip up the coast of Chile with 14 other locos in a somewhat small bus with a final destination of the salt flats on the Bolivian border.
Our trip down to Ushuaia was kind of a nightmare because stupid Argentinas Aerolinas cancelled our flight without telling us. We therefore spent an extra day in Buenos Aires which meant one less day in Ushuaia.
I don't think my body was prepared for the shocking weather change, from 70 degrees to about 35 degrees. I didn't even pack a heavy coat for the trip! Luckily almost everywhere was heated.
We spent the first afternoon in Ushuaia planning out the rest of our stay. Our days were jammed packed with activities such as a boat ride through the Beagle Channel that afforded stunning views of the snowcapped mountains. We also took a scenic flight out to the glaciers and through the mountains. The pilot actually let Dave fly the plane for a few minutes. (Dave then proceeded to talk/brag about his flying of the plane and how he was practically a pilot now for the rest of the day) The views were so spectacular and being up in the air, able to see out for miles, (because of the fantastic sunny weather we had the entire time we were there) you really got the feeling that this was the end of the line.
I wish I could more accurately describe the beauty. It's something I don't even think my pictures do justice.
Our last full day in Ushuaia we went on 4x4 trip through the forest and out to a peninsula for an amazing traditional Argentine BBQ. The driver of the 4x4 was kind of a lunatic and at one point put the land rover in cruise control, got out and went to the back window and pretended to push the car with his pinky. While it was really funny, I was definitely worrying the whole time but we were going to crash into a tree. While the guy was a lunatic, he had done the trip enough times to know what he was doing, so we were fine.
For lunch we sat in a little shelter on a pebble beach and ate some of the best sausage and steak I have ever had in my life. The company was great too and it was a great end to an amazing journey to the end of the world.
After a week stay in Bariloche, the northern border of Patagonia, and a very teary goodbye to Dave I took a bus boat combo across the border and entered Chile. The trip took the entire day but had such breathtaking scenery that time just flew by.
Chile far exceeded my expectations. I only allowed a bit over 2 weeks to tour the country and upon departing realized I could have easily spent a month there. The land space, just like Argentina, is so diverse. It has everything from desert to glaciers and to top it off an amazing wine country.
After a full day dedicated to planning, responding to emails and uploading millions of pics, I was off the next morning to the Chilean wine country. I only visited one winery, but was very pleased with my choice. I visited the Balduzzi winery in the Maule Valley. Balduzzi produces Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere and a 'Late Harvest' blend that if I had unlimited space in my backpack, I would have loaded up with.
I found an excellent hostel in Santiago, and for the next few days explored the city. To be honest there wasn't much to see in Santiago, but it was so nice to be back in a big city. Even though all major cities are different there is something so comforting and familiar about large cities. I almost find it a relief to make it to one.
On Saturday I began a crazy trip up the coast of Chile with 14 other locos in a somewhat small bus with a final destination of the salt flats on the Bolivian border.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Buenos Aires in a Nut Shell
Seeing Dave again was a bit surreal. I had been on my own for 3 months that I had gotten so used to having only myself to rely on. But it took all of 5 minutes for us to get back into the usual routine of making fun and teasing each other.
It was so good to have someone to share my trip with. Someone I will be able to recall memories with, because we all know one of my favorite things to do is play 'remember that time.'
We took in the usual sights, Evita's grave and museum, tango lessons and a tango dinner show, walks through the botanical gardens, bike trips through some parks, the antique markets in San Telmo and the 'Caminito' (a series of streets set up purely for tourists with people supposedly spontaneously Tango-ing in the streets) in La Boca.
Buenos Aires has got to be the most beautiful major city in all of Central and South America. It is a massive city with a bus system that requires a college degree to figure out.
Dave and I stayed in Palermo which is the young trendy area all the cool young people want to be seen in. There are about 20 billion restaurants in Palermo which is one of the many reasons I could have stayed in BA for much longer. While we ate out at least 2 times a day we didn't even scratch the surface of the massive restaurant industry. I must have had steak 5 nights in a row, but I'm not complaining because it was so delicious.
I spent my 24th birthday in Buenos Aires. I usually have a big dinner or night out with all my friends for my birthday, so I was a bit sad when my birthday rolled around and my close friends weren't there to share it with me. But I did have a few friends in BA at the time so we hit the town for some good old fashion celebrating with copious amounts of food followed by some binge drinking.
On one of our last days in Buenos Aires we hit up the world famous religious theme park called Tierra Santa. The whole idea of having a theme park recreating stories from the bible seems a bit sac religious, but if Argentines don't see it, as Dave would say, as 'taking the piss' then why not.
I literally had to hold myself back from hysterical laugher the entire time I was there. There aren't actually any rides at the park, just live reenactments of things such as Jesus' trail and shows that star mechanical life size dolls that recreate scenes such as the creation or the last supper.
The more I thought about, the bible does provide some good stories for actual theme park with rides. What about a water ride for the flood and Noah's Arc? I'm thinking about sending my ideas to Tierra Santa....
If you ever get the chance to check the place out I highly recommend it. You definitely won't find this anywhere else in the world.
8 days after arriving we set out for the coastal town of Mar Del Plata for some beach days and relaxing.
It was so good to have someone to share my trip with. Someone I will be able to recall memories with, because we all know one of my favorite things to do is play 'remember that time.'
We took in the usual sights, Evita's grave and museum, tango lessons and a tango dinner show, walks through the botanical gardens, bike trips through some parks, the antique markets in San Telmo and the 'Caminito' (a series of streets set up purely for tourists with people supposedly spontaneously Tango-ing in the streets) in La Boca.
Buenos Aires has got to be the most beautiful major city in all of Central and South America. It is a massive city with a bus system that requires a college degree to figure out.
Dave and I stayed in Palermo which is the young trendy area all the cool young people want to be seen in. There are about 20 billion restaurants in Palermo which is one of the many reasons I could have stayed in BA for much longer. While we ate out at least 2 times a day we didn't even scratch the surface of the massive restaurant industry. I must have had steak 5 nights in a row, but I'm not complaining because it was so delicious.
I spent my 24th birthday in Buenos Aires. I usually have a big dinner or night out with all my friends for my birthday, so I was a bit sad when my birthday rolled around and my close friends weren't there to share it with me. But I did have a few friends in BA at the time so we hit the town for some good old fashion celebrating with copious amounts of food followed by some binge drinking.
On one of our last days in Buenos Aires we hit up the world famous religious theme park called Tierra Santa. The whole idea of having a theme park recreating stories from the bible seems a bit sac religious, but if Argentines don't see it, as Dave would say, as 'taking the piss' then why not.
I literally had to hold myself back from hysterical laugher the entire time I was there. There aren't actually any rides at the park, just live reenactments of things such as Jesus' trail and shows that star mechanical life size dolls that recreate scenes such as the creation or the last supper.
The more I thought about, the bible does provide some good stories for actual theme park with rides. What about a water ride for the flood and Noah's Arc? I'm thinking about sending my ideas to Tierra Santa....
If you ever get the chance to check the place out I highly recommend it. You definitely won't find this anywhere else in the world.
8 days after arriving we set out for the coastal town of Mar Del Plata for some beach days and relaxing.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Argentina Norte
I have been neglecting my blog and now I am forced to cram so much madness into a couple of paragraphs. Argentina is an amazing country. Some place I could have easily stayed another month or so. The landscape is so diverse you literally get everything from desert to big city to massive glaciers.
After my short stint in Posadas I headed for Tucuman in the North of Argentina. There isn't too terribly much to do in Tucuman but it was a nice place to stop for a day and break up the endless hours on a bus you must spend to get south. From Tucuman it was off to Cordoba which is a wild university town with tons of young people and night life.
My first day in Cordoba was sunny and so warm and I took advantage of the warm weather and headed out to Alta Gracia the town where Che Guevara grew up. You are able to tour his home but more importantly for me I was able to learn a little bit more about a man I know very little about.
There are many great day trips out from Cordoba into the country granted you have good weather. I had decided to park in Cordoba for 6 days because I was a bit exhausted from traveling. Seeing as how there were more day trips that I had days there I thought I was set. Two things I didn't take into consideration, hangovers and bad weather.
It started to rain the second day I was there, but it was still about 70 degrees outside so it didn't really bother me. Its when the rain turned into a torrential down pour that I realized I would have to think of some indoor activities to occupy my time. Needless to say I scratched all my plans for day trips and hikes and enrolled in some spanish classes. The majority of the rest of my time in Cordoba was spent studying spanish, sleeping in late and taking in the night life.
Night life in Argentina is ridiculous. People don't eat dinner until 10 or 11 at night and then bars and clubs don't even open until 2am. By the time you have had a few drinks at a club, listened to some awful 80's hits that for some reasons argentines seems to be obsessed with, its 5am and the party is in full swing. A few of these days and waking up at 5pm the next day, still hung over, I realized that this isn't something I want to make a habit out of. After 6 days I had had way too much of Cordoba and packed my bags for Argentine wine country.
I arrived in Mendoza at 8am and after a scolding hot shower to wash off 14 hours of bus I was off on a Bikes and Wine tour. It sounds like such a great idea, rent a bike and ride around to different wineries. I hopped off the bus in the Maipu valley just outside of Mendoza and with my friend Rica bargained for a bike and hit the road.
No one tells you that you are actually going to be biking on the freeway, a two lane freeway at that, with the shoulders so muddy you are forced to bike on the pavement with the cars. I actually met a girl who was hit by a truck on the road! My first question is, who thought it would be a good idea to set up a bike tour here and second, out of the dozens of people I had met in the weeks prior who had been to Mendoza, why had no one warned me about the total tourist trap known as Bikes and Wine. I took it upon myself to tell everyone in my hostel how awful Bikes and Wine was and to definitely do a bus tour.
Even though I was forced to bike on the freeway and dodge cars that were doing about 100 mph while laying on their horns telling the bikers to get out of the way, I still had a decent time and met some pretty funny people.
The next day Rica and I decided to go horseback riding up in the hills of Mendoza. (There was already snow in the mountains so those were out of the question) The horseback riding was amazing with such beautiful country side as the backdrop. For lunch we rode back to our guide's ranch and he made us a traditions Argentine BBQ. It was so delicious and after another ride and a few rounds of mate it was nearly 8pm and time to depart from great company and a gorgeous day.
In a few days I would meet up with Dave in Buenos Aires.
After my short stint in Posadas I headed for Tucuman in the North of Argentina. There isn't too terribly much to do in Tucuman but it was a nice place to stop for a day and break up the endless hours on a bus you must spend to get south. From Tucuman it was off to Cordoba which is a wild university town with tons of young people and night life.
My first day in Cordoba was sunny and so warm and I took advantage of the warm weather and headed out to Alta Gracia the town where Che Guevara grew up. You are able to tour his home but more importantly for me I was able to learn a little bit more about a man I know very little about.
There are many great day trips out from Cordoba into the country granted you have good weather. I had decided to park in Cordoba for 6 days because I was a bit exhausted from traveling. Seeing as how there were more day trips that I had days there I thought I was set. Two things I didn't take into consideration, hangovers and bad weather.
It started to rain the second day I was there, but it was still about 70 degrees outside so it didn't really bother me. Its when the rain turned into a torrential down pour that I realized I would have to think of some indoor activities to occupy my time. Needless to say I scratched all my plans for day trips and hikes and enrolled in some spanish classes. The majority of the rest of my time in Cordoba was spent studying spanish, sleeping in late and taking in the night life.
Night life in Argentina is ridiculous. People don't eat dinner until 10 or 11 at night and then bars and clubs don't even open until 2am. By the time you have had a few drinks at a club, listened to some awful 80's hits that for some reasons argentines seems to be obsessed with, its 5am and the party is in full swing. A few of these days and waking up at 5pm the next day, still hung over, I realized that this isn't something I want to make a habit out of. After 6 days I had had way too much of Cordoba and packed my bags for Argentine wine country.
I arrived in Mendoza at 8am and after a scolding hot shower to wash off 14 hours of bus I was off on a Bikes and Wine tour. It sounds like such a great idea, rent a bike and ride around to different wineries. I hopped off the bus in the Maipu valley just outside of Mendoza and with my friend Rica bargained for a bike and hit the road.
No one tells you that you are actually going to be biking on the freeway, a two lane freeway at that, with the shoulders so muddy you are forced to bike on the pavement with the cars. I actually met a girl who was hit by a truck on the road! My first question is, who thought it would be a good idea to set up a bike tour here and second, out of the dozens of people I had met in the weeks prior who had been to Mendoza, why had no one warned me about the total tourist trap known as Bikes and Wine. I took it upon myself to tell everyone in my hostel how awful Bikes and Wine was and to definitely do a bus tour.
Even though I was forced to bike on the freeway and dodge cars that were doing about 100 mph while laying on their horns telling the bikers to get out of the way, I still had a decent time and met some pretty funny people.
The next day Rica and I decided to go horseback riding up in the hills of Mendoza. (There was already snow in the mountains so those were out of the question) The horseback riding was amazing with such beautiful country side as the backdrop. For lunch we rode back to our guide's ranch and he made us a traditions Argentine BBQ. It was so delicious and after another ride and a few rounds of mate it was nearly 8pm and time to depart from great company and a gorgeous day.
In a few days I would meet up with Dave in Buenos Aires.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Foz Do Iguaçu in 2 days
Its been awhile and I have been traveling so much that its hard to remember where I left off, or where to begin. I guess the most logical point is at Foz do Iguaçu with Megan.
Megan and I dashed around the Brazil side of the falls late friday afternoon and as we commented on the beautiful weather it started to rain, hard. It didn't last too long, well long enough for me to duck into the souvenir shop and buy a t-shirt. Brazil offers a more panoramic view of the falls, which is totally breathtaking but nothing compared to the Argentine side. Argentina owns 70% of the falls and therefore has much more infrastructure for tourists and well, just more waterfalls.
We started the morning out in Argentina with a jeep ride through the rainforest followed by a speedboat ride under the waterfalls. While it sounds really cool to whiz under and through waterfalls, when you're actually directly underneath the waterfall there is so much water everywhere that you have to keep your eyes closed and your head down because of the speed and pressure the water falls at. Still, you are driving under a giant waterfall which is pretty cool.
We parked on an island in between some falls for lunch and attempted to dry off. Luckily we had been warned and not only wore our bathing suits on the boatride but brought extra clothes for the duration of the day. The clouds were just beginning to burn off and for the rest of the day we were able to enjoy a completely sunny day.
We treked around catwalks and little hiking trails the rest of the day. In the 8 hours we spent at the argentine waterfalls I think I took a total of 100 pictures, all of waterfalls. It's amazing how they never get old.
At the end of the day we took a train out to garganta del diablo (devils throat). This is a massive u-shaped waterfall that is about 500 feet wide and 2300 feet tall, and is by far the most spectacular sight to see. Talk about feeling insignificant next to something of that size and power.
By the time we reached home we were both worn out, but of course not too worn out to join in some boozing next to the pool in the hostel.
All day I had had this uncontrollable desire for corn on the cob. So after a stop at the atm (because i didn't even have enough money to buy corn on the cob) then a trip to the store, then finding someone to light the stove (because I don't do gas stoves) the water was well on its way to boiling and the stove ran out of gas! After several drinks to ease the cravings, a few chicken fights in the pool (which I obviously dominated) I finally had my corn on the cob at around 12am. Shortly after, I had had enough Iguaçu so I took my corn filled belly to bed.
That was my last night in Brazil (our hostel was on the Brazil side of the waterfalls) and it was an excellent end to a 2.5 month stay in the country.
The next afternoon I offically crossed over into Argentina and hopped on a bus to the roaring town of Posadas. Posadas is by no means roaring and frankly I had a hard time finding a grocery store. But I was only there for one day and then it was on to Argentina Norte.
Megan and I dashed around the Brazil side of the falls late friday afternoon and as we commented on the beautiful weather it started to rain, hard. It didn't last too long, well long enough for me to duck into the souvenir shop and buy a t-shirt. Brazil offers a more panoramic view of the falls, which is totally breathtaking but nothing compared to the Argentine side. Argentina owns 70% of the falls and therefore has much more infrastructure for tourists and well, just more waterfalls.
We started the morning out in Argentina with a jeep ride through the rainforest followed by a speedboat ride under the waterfalls. While it sounds really cool to whiz under and through waterfalls, when you're actually directly underneath the waterfall there is so much water everywhere that you have to keep your eyes closed and your head down because of the speed and pressure the water falls at. Still, you are driving under a giant waterfall which is pretty cool.
We parked on an island in between some falls for lunch and attempted to dry off. Luckily we had been warned and not only wore our bathing suits on the boatride but brought extra clothes for the duration of the day. The clouds were just beginning to burn off and for the rest of the day we were able to enjoy a completely sunny day.
We treked around catwalks and little hiking trails the rest of the day. In the 8 hours we spent at the argentine waterfalls I think I took a total of 100 pictures, all of waterfalls. It's amazing how they never get old.
At the end of the day we took a train out to garganta del diablo (devils throat). This is a massive u-shaped waterfall that is about 500 feet wide and 2300 feet tall, and is by far the most spectacular sight to see. Talk about feeling insignificant next to something of that size and power.
By the time we reached home we were both worn out, but of course not too worn out to join in some boozing next to the pool in the hostel.
All day I had had this uncontrollable desire for corn on the cob. So after a stop at the atm (because i didn't even have enough money to buy corn on the cob) then a trip to the store, then finding someone to light the stove (because I don't do gas stoves) the water was well on its way to boiling and the stove ran out of gas! After several drinks to ease the cravings, a few chicken fights in the pool (which I obviously dominated) I finally had my corn on the cob at around 12am. Shortly after, I had had enough Iguaçu so I took my corn filled belly to bed.
That was my last night in Brazil (our hostel was on the Brazil side of the waterfalls) and it was an excellent end to a 2.5 month stay in the country.
The next afternoon I offically crossed over into Argentina and hopped on a bus to the roaring town of Posadas. Posadas is by no means roaring and frankly I had a hard time finding a grocery store. But I was only there for one day and then it was on to Argentina Norte.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Hee-o
I won't lie, Rio is scary. I'm pretty sure I witnessed a car jacking, saw a brigadeof 12 police cars (semi-automatic weapons drawn) driving towards the favelas, and met countless people who had been mugged. I some how managed to escape unscathed...and want to go back.
In a way Rio reminds me of San Francisco. Rio is about 20 times the size, but the physical layout (being situated on a bay and an ocean) and the diversity some how made it feel a bit familiar.
I ended up staying in Santa Teresa, which is a district set up into the hills, far from the touristy beaches of ipenema and copacabana. It turned out to be the perfect spot for me and the most fabulous hostel I have ever stayed it. (minus this one douche bag Australian guy)
I arrived on Thursday morning after getting 1 hour of sleep due to the 3am departure of my flight to Rio. I spent close to 6 hours on Thursday walking around town, snapping phots and trying to get the lay of the land. I could hardly resist a thursday night out, even if I was practically falling asleep, so I drank my way slowly to friday morning and took from the hours of 8am - 10am to recover next to the pool.
It's hard to sit still when you know there is so much out there to see. My first venture was to find this semi famous staircase in Lapa (the district below Santa Teresa) that a man had spent 18 years tiling, using tiles from over 60 different countries. The staircase is beautiful and its designer lives in a flat right off the staircase and spends every morning sweeping and cleaning his staircase. I attempted to chat with him, but his Chilean accent mixed with the Portuguese he spoke basically made him impossible to understand. He did however give me an autographed picture of a painting he had done and told me to send him some tiles from Seattle, so he could incorporate them into the staircase. Sometimes it pays to be a tourist.
I took in the two biggest tourist sites, the Christ statue and Sugarloaf mountain, during the next couple of days. From the top of Sugarloaf you can watch the sun set right behind the Christ statue which is absolutely stunning. I took about 1,000 photos of it. The Christ statue itself wasn't that exciting but it's interesting to think about how Rio has changed since the statue was built. How much crime, poverty, violence, partying, fear and lust Christ has seen in the streets of Rio.
I also was able to go to 2 games at the Maracaná. The stadium seats 100,000 but apparently has been known to hold 200,000. The games I went to weren't nearly that packed, but I did see Fluminense play. The rivalry between Fluminense and Flamengo is Rio's biggest football rivalry and therefore has the most die hard fans. These people were definitely die hard, most sporting a tattoo of their team on their back or forearm. For 4 hours straight people chanted, sang, drummed, yelled and never once sat down. There was so much energy there, I could barely sit down either, even though I still hadn't slept for more than a couple hours each night. I would love to see a game between 'Flu' and 'Fla' and the totally insanity that goes along with it.
I spent a good amount of the rest of my time laying on ipanema and taking in the local nightlife. Lapa has a huge street party of friday nights that is just absolutely out of control. Everywhere you look there are people dancing in the streets, people selling drinks, drugs, shots, beers, water...enough to keep you going until 8am when things start wrapping up. I didn't make it to 8am but I made a good effort until 5am dancing to crazy techno music under the Lapa arches with as many homeless people as locals.
So now I am in Foz do Iguaçu recovering from 7 glorious days in Rio and one 23 hour bus ride to get here. I would say I will spend this Friday night resting, but Megan (from Salvador) has come up from Buenos Aires to meet me for the weekend and my days in Brazil are limited. Besides, I'm getting used to this no sleep thing.
In a way Rio reminds me of San Francisco. Rio is about 20 times the size, but the physical layout (being situated on a bay and an ocean) and the diversity some how made it feel a bit familiar.
I ended up staying in Santa Teresa, which is a district set up into the hills, far from the touristy beaches of ipenema and copacabana. It turned out to be the perfect spot for me and the most fabulous hostel I have ever stayed it. (minus this one douche bag Australian guy)
I arrived on Thursday morning after getting 1 hour of sleep due to the 3am departure of my flight to Rio. I spent close to 6 hours on Thursday walking around town, snapping phots and trying to get the lay of the land. I could hardly resist a thursday night out, even if I was practically falling asleep, so I drank my way slowly to friday morning and took from the hours of 8am - 10am to recover next to the pool.
It's hard to sit still when you know there is so much out there to see. My first venture was to find this semi famous staircase in Lapa (the district below Santa Teresa) that a man had spent 18 years tiling, using tiles from over 60 different countries. The staircase is beautiful and its designer lives in a flat right off the staircase and spends every morning sweeping and cleaning his staircase. I attempted to chat with him, but his Chilean accent mixed with the Portuguese he spoke basically made him impossible to understand. He did however give me an autographed picture of a painting he had done and told me to send him some tiles from Seattle, so he could incorporate them into the staircase. Sometimes it pays to be a tourist.
I took in the two biggest tourist sites, the Christ statue and Sugarloaf mountain, during the next couple of days. From the top of Sugarloaf you can watch the sun set right behind the Christ statue which is absolutely stunning. I took about 1,000 photos of it. The Christ statue itself wasn't that exciting but it's interesting to think about how Rio has changed since the statue was built. How much crime, poverty, violence, partying, fear and lust Christ has seen in the streets of Rio.
I also was able to go to 2 games at the Maracaná. The stadium seats 100,000 but apparently has been known to hold 200,000. The games I went to weren't nearly that packed, but I did see Fluminense play. The rivalry between Fluminense and Flamengo is Rio's biggest football rivalry and therefore has the most die hard fans. These people were definitely die hard, most sporting a tattoo of their team on their back or forearm. For 4 hours straight people chanted, sang, drummed, yelled and never once sat down. There was so much energy there, I could barely sit down either, even though I still hadn't slept for more than a couple hours each night. I would love to see a game between 'Flu' and 'Fla' and the totally insanity that goes along with it.
I spent a good amount of the rest of my time laying on ipanema and taking in the local nightlife. Lapa has a huge street party of friday nights that is just absolutely out of control. Everywhere you look there are people dancing in the streets, people selling drinks, drugs, shots, beers, water...enough to keep you going until 8am when things start wrapping up. I didn't make it to 8am but I made a good effort until 5am dancing to crazy techno music under the Lapa arches with as many homeless people as locals.
So now I am in Foz do Iguaçu recovering from 7 glorious days in Rio and one 23 hour bus ride to get here. I would say I will spend this Friday night resting, but Megan (from Salvador) has come up from Buenos Aires to meet me for the weekend and my days in Brazil are limited. Besides, I'm getting used to this no sleep thing.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Where the wild things are
Flying to Manaus in the Amazon was flawless. After my trip to Salvador I pretty much had no faith in the airline system in Brazil. Their lack of punctuality seems to coincide with Brazilians attitude towards life; I'll get there when I get there. (But not the way they drive that's for sure.)
I met some very nice people on the bus from the airport to the town center and after a bit of misinformation from some locals about the actual location of my hostel, I made it safe and sound.
The next morning it was up early to catch our ride to our jungle lodge. 3 hours of a boat/car combo and there we were, in the middle of Juma lake in the Amazon rainforest.
As I am bringing my backpack to our room, I notice that there is a parrot on our roof. I immediately whip out my camera and start to think about how cool it is to be in the Amazon. Next thing I know the parrot is flying around my head. I let out the loudest scream of terror and freak out because I am now bent at a 90 degree angle with a parrot perched on my back. I try to stand up straight but it just digs its claws into my back to try and get a foothold. I whine to get it off me and as the staff at the lodge is laughing hysterically at, other parrot appear out of no where and start imitating the laughter. I must admit it was pretty funny, but at the time I just really wanted to parrot off my shoulder. After Jocelyn snapped a couple of phots, the bird is taken off my back by a staff member. I now have scratch marks that run the length of one of my shoulder blades. hot.
After settling into our room (yes, i opted for the more plush ways to visit the amazon, in a hut in the water with a bed and mattress) we were off on our first tour to a locals' house. When we arrived I was literally in shock, what did I sign up for? Not only did the family sell jewelry in their kitchen, they had a TV and about 5 different pets that they brought out to show the tourists. I became to regret my decision with the plush option. I was not pleased with the live petting zoo that was taking place in front of me and decided to walk around out back and see if I could see something more authentic. Once everyone was done inside with the monkey, parrot, turtle, caymen, and some petite anteater looking thing, they joined me out back and the owner of the house, who also happened to be the local protestant pastor, started to talk about the different plants in his 'backyard'.
Turns out his backyard stretches straight into the jungle. He talked of natural remedies for pretty much everything you could think of. It was fascinating that all of this was steps away from their house and that everyone was so educated on all the different plant life and their medicinal uses. He passed around a plant that was supposed to be a natural bug repellant. All you have to do is rub it on your skin, sounds easy enough so I gave it a whirl. No more than five minutes later I had broken out in a rash and start to get frightened that it might get worse. Thankfully as quickly as it came, it disappeared.
The next day was packed with tours of the waters, piranha fishing (of which I caught none) and caymen spotting (of which I got to hold one!) The caymen spotting was really great because we went out late at night in the complete darkness. The jungle is really creepy, and I was glad to have the protection of the boat. I probably would have stroked out if we had been on foot. The caymen the guide caught was only about 2 feet and we were all able to hold it and touch the skin. Apparently caymens are now protected in the amazon, so they are increasing in population because not as many people are hunting them to make into handbags.
Our last full day we went on a jungle walk which was pretty disappointing. I think it all depends on luck, what you see in the jungle. We weren't able to see many animals besides a hoard of monkeys in the trees. I have decided that if I should ever come back to the Amazon I am taking a river boat deep into the Amazon, so I can see all those animals that only exist in the Amazon.
Speaking of animals that only exist in the amazon, I was able to spot both the gray and pink freshwater dolphins. The pink dolphins are total fattys and I am frankly surprised they can get their enormous body out of the water. buoyancy, eh.
I attempted to probe our guide at dinner time about the expansion of the Amazon highway and his thoughts on its impact. He would only go as far to say that yes the highway was bad, but the Amazon was fine. It will still be here for the next generations. It made me wonder if he is not as privy to the information I get from my national geographic subscription, or if his inside knowledge of a life spent entirely in the rainforest, allowed him to look past the politics.
While I am disappointed I wasn't able to see more, the trip was far more rewarding to my other senses then I ever could have imagined. Being in such isolation makes you remember that one or two other times that you were far from civilization. Those times that when they occurred you thought you would never forget, but have somehow been filed in the way back, behind the hustle of day to day life. I'm hoping I won't forget this one.
I met some very nice people on the bus from the airport to the town center and after a bit of misinformation from some locals about the actual location of my hostel, I made it safe and sound.
The next morning it was up early to catch our ride to our jungle lodge. 3 hours of a boat/car combo and there we were, in the middle of Juma lake in the Amazon rainforest.
As I am bringing my backpack to our room, I notice that there is a parrot on our roof. I immediately whip out my camera and start to think about how cool it is to be in the Amazon. Next thing I know the parrot is flying around my head. I let out the loudest scream of terror and freak out because I am now bent at a 90 degree angle with a parrot perched on my back. I try to stand up straight but it just digs its claws into my back to try and get a foothold. I whine to get it off me and as the staff at the lodge is laughing hysterically at, other parrot appear out of no where and start imitating the laughter. I must admit it was pretty funny, but at the time I just really wanted to parrot off my shoulder. After Jocelyn snapped a couple of phots, the bird is taken off my back by a staff member. I now have scratch marks that run the length of one of my shoulder blades. hot.
After settling into our room (yes, i opted for the more plush ways to visit the amazon, in a hut in the water with a bed and mattress) we were off on our first tour to a locals' house. When we arrived I was literally in shock, what did I sign up for? Not only did the family sell jewelry in their kitchen, they had a TV and about 5 different pets that they brought out to show the tourists. I became to regret my decision with the plush option. I was not pleased with the live petting zoo that was taking place in front of me and decided to walk around out back and see if I could see something more authentic. Once everyone was done inside with the monkey, parrot, turtle, caymen, and some petite anteater looking thing, they joined me out back and the owner of the house, who also happened to be the local protestant pastor, started to talk about the different plants in his 'backyard'.
Turns out his backyard stretches straight into the jungle. He talked of natural remedies for pretty much everything you could think of. It was fascinating that all of this was steps away from their house and that everyone was so educated on all the different plant life and their medicinal uses. He passed around a plant that was supposed to be a natural bug repellant. All you have to do is rub it on your skin, sounds easy enough so I gave it a whirl. No more than five minutes later I had broken out in a rash and start to get frightened that it might get worse. Thankfully as quickly as it came, it disappeared.
The next day was packed with tours of the waters, piranha fishing (of which I caught none) and caymen spotting (of which I got to hold one!) The caymen spotting was really great because we went out late at night in the complete darkness. The jungle is really creepy, and I was glad to have the protection of the boat. I probably would have stroked out if we had been on foot. The caymen the guide caught was only about 2 feet and we were all able to hold it and touch the skin. Apparently caymens are now protected in the amazon, so they are increasing in population because not as many people are hunting them to make into handbags.
Our last full day we went on a jungle walk which was pretty disappointing. I think it all depends on luck, what you see in the jungle. We weren't able to see many animals besides a hoard of monkeys in the trees. I have decided that if I should ever come back to the Amazon I am taking a river boat deep into the Amazon, so I can see all those animals that only exist in the Amazon.
Speaking of animals that only exist in the amazon, I was able to spot both the gray and pink freshwater dolphins. The pink dolphins are total fattys and I am frankly surprised they can get their enormous body out of the water. buoyancy, eh.
I attempted to probe our guide at dinner time about the expansion of the Amazon highway and his thoughts on its impact. He would only go as far to say that yes the highway was bad, but the Amazon was fine. It will still be here for the next generations. It made me wonder if he is not as privy to the information I get from my national geographic subscription, or if his inside knowledge of a life spent entirely in the rainforest, allowed him to look past the politics.
While I am disappointed I wasn't able to see more, the trip was far more rewarding to my other senses then I ever could have imagined. Being in such isolation makes you remember that one or two other times that you were far from civilization. Those times that when they occurred you thought you would never forget, but have somehow been filed in the way back, behind the hustle of day to day life. I'm hoping I won't forget this one.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Boa Viagem
As I sit here and type this my hours left in Salvador tick away. I had my going away dinner last night at Habibs, and besides a few people who found plastic in their food, it was fabulous.
My last day at work was bittersweet. The kids are too young to understand that I am not coming back, so it was tchau as usual for them. I am going to miss them all terribly. Being with them everyday for the last 2 months has opened my eyes to a lot of things and taught me some important lessons in patience and discipline. They are all such jems.
The nuns wished me a boa viagem, and gave me the addresses of a few other Mother Teresa's in South America. I would like to visit the one in La Paz when I meet up with Lexi, and when I inquired as to the safety of the area it is in, the nuns said it was very dangerous and 'people would make me have nothing.' Then one of the nuns reached into her pocket and took out a Mother Teresa, Virgin Mary necklace, placed it around my neck and told me the Lord would always watch over me. Coming from her, I believe it.
I can't believe it's time to pack up and go. I am meeting my friend Jocelyn in the Amazon. It will be nice to see a familiar face and explore together. I am assuming they don't have the internet in the Amazon, so see you in Rio!
My last day at work was bittersweet. The kids are too young to understand that I am not coming back, so it was tchau as usual for them. I am going to miss them all terribly. Being with them everyday for the last 2 months has opened my eyes to a lot of things and taught me some important lessons in patience and discipline. They are all such jems.
The nuns wished me a boa viagem, and gave me the addresses of a few other Mother Teresa's in South America. I would like to visit the one in La Paz when I meet up with Lexi, and when I inquired as to the safety of the area it is in, the nuns said it was very dangerous and 'people would make me have nothing.' Then one of the nuns reached into her pocket and took out a Mother Teresa, Virgin Mary necklace, placed it around my neck and told me the Lord would always watch over me. Coming from her, I believe it.
I can't believe it's time to pack up and go. I am meeting my friend Jocelyn in the Amazon. It will be nice to see a familiar face and explore together. I am assuming they don't have the internet in the Amazon, so see you in Rio!
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Dr. Quack and a little Habibs for the soul
My ‘cold’ that I mentioned in my last post some how manifested itself into the worst soar throat I have ever had. After several sleepless nights drooling on the pillow and days of painful swallowing I decided to go back to the hospital. I opted this time for the walk-in clinic which is much less expensive than the ER. $40 US in fact.
As I was forking over my credit card the man behind the counter he asked me something to the effect of ‘halves or quarters?’ which made no sense to me. I quickly realized that he was asking if I wanted to pay in installments. Such a foreign idea to me to begin with, especially for $40, but as I reached WAY back into all that useless knowledge I learned in college I remembered that Brazil compounds their interest monthly as opposed to the US that does it annually. Therefore when one puts an amount on their card all at once, if they can’t pay it off their payment probably close to doubles, as I can imagine the interest rate here in much higher than the US as well.
After my quick economics lesson and a short 2.5 hour wait I was finally ushered into a room to meet with the doctor. I tell the doctor that I’m American and don’t speak Portuguese, he responds in English and I am relieved. He immediately launches into a story about my last name and how it is close to the name Hutchkinson that apparently was the name of a gun used in World War I. I smile and try to act polite, but I really didn’t go to chat, in fact at this point talking is somewhat of a strain. He goes on and on about how he thinks the French are rude and how he can speak 5 different languages. Finally he looks at my throat and after about 2 seconds he tells me my tonsils are inflamed, writes a prescription, and painstakingly tells me about each drug and of course a personal note about his life. The whole visit took probably 30 minutes of which about 5 where related to my throat.
So I’m currently all drugged up and feeling great. (Minus the fact that I can’t drink…again.) I’ve been trying to lay low this week and rest up.
I’ve been feeling pretty good the last 2 days and to celebrate me and a couple other folks from the house ventured to Habibs for dinner this evening. I must preface this story with the fact that I have been talking about going to Habibs for 7 weeks now. I pass it almost daily on the way to the beach and grocery store. Other people in the house actually think I have been there many times because I talk about how great it is. I can only describe Habibs as the greatest fast food, yet sit down and be served by waiters, in the World. They even proclaim that on the menu. The Arab-American-Brazilian fusion restaurant comes complete with glass place settings, high-class uniforms for their million employees all waiting on you hand and foot and a super creepy genie as their logo.
I think more people in the house need to be exposed to the greatness that is Habibs so I have decided for my last night out I will go to Habibs where they have a drink special, buy one caipirinha and get a beer for free. Greatest place on earth I tell you.
As I was forking over my credit card the man behind the counter he asked me something to the effect of ‘halves or quarters?’ which made no sense to me. I quickly realized that he was asking if I wanted to pay in installments. Such a foreign idea to me to begin with, especially for $40, but as I reached WAY back into all that useless knowledge I learned in college I remembered that Brazil compounds their interest monthly as opposed to the US that does it annually. Therefore when one puts an amount on their card all at once, if they can’t pay it off their payment probably close to doubles, as I can imagine the interest rate here in much higher than the US as well.
After my quick economics lesson and a short 2.5 hour wait I was finally ushered into a room to meet with the doctor. I tell the doctor that I’m American and don’t speak Portuguese, he responds in English and I am relieved. He immediately launches into a story about my last name and how it is close to the name Hutchkinson that apparently was the name of a gun used in World War I. I smile and try to act polite, but I really didn’t go to chat, in fact at this point talking is somewhat of a strain. He goes on and on about how he thinks the French are rude and how he can speak 5 different languages. Finally he looks at my throat and after about 2 seconds he tells me my tonsils are inflamed, writes a prescription, and painstakingly tells me about each drug and of course a personal note about his life. The whole visit took probably 30 minutes of which about 5 where related to my throat.
So I’m currently all drugged up and feeling great. (Minus the fact that I can’t drink…again.) I’ve been trying to lay low this week and rest up.
I’ve been feeling pretty good the last 2 days and to celebrate me and a couple other folks from the house ventured to Habibs for dinner this evening. I must preface this story with the fact that I have been talking about going to Habibs for 7 weeks now. I pass it almost daily on the way to the beach and grocery store. Other people in the house actually think I have been there many times because I talk about how great it is. I can only describe Habibs as the greatest fast food, yet sit down and be served by waiters, in the World. They even proclaim that on the menu. The Arab-American-Brazilian fusion restaurant comes complete with glass place settings, high-class uniforms for their million employees all waiting on you hand and foot and a super creepy genie as their logo.
I think more people in the house need to be exposed to the greatness that is Habibs so I have decided for my last night out I will go to Habibs where they have a drink special, buy one caipirinha and get a beer for free. Greatest place on earth I tell you.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Carnaval. Wow.
(Warning: There are many run-ons in this entry. and a few swear words)
Fuck. Fuck you to all the people who have molested me in the streets. Who have grabbed me by the hair to try and kiss me; to the countless people who had their hands in my pockets searching for money. But fuck it was amazing.
I want to describe my last couple of days at Carnaval as the craziest thing I have ever seen in my life, but I feel crazy just doesn’t do justice to the utter mayhem of Carnaval. No more will I ever say Vegas is the craziest place on earth. No doubt Salvador’s Carnalval has got it beat.
I have been feeling better since my ‘hospitalization’ (besides the cold I now have from being crammed in the streets with millions of other people for hours on end) and have braved the pipoca crowds twice now. Once on Saturday and again on Monday. Tonight is the last night of Carnaval and I am a bit dissappointed that I wasn't able to participate and see more. But with my energy being as low as it is, and still being on a soda cracker diet, I have to take what I can get, or rather what I can stand. Maybe when I'm old and gray I'll journey back and see how Carnaval has changed....anyway...
There are two different parade routes in Salvador, one more traditional in the down town/historic center and the other just added a few years ago running along the beach, near our house.
On Saturday Meghan (my roommate) and I went to Barra (the beach route) to jump and dance in the street. There have been heavy rain storms for the past few weeks leaving the streets filled with mud. Mix the mud with trash everywhere from Carnaval-goers, and an overwhelming smell of urine and bo and the scene is set. Surprisingly the spirit of Carnaval, the singing of the same 10 songs over and over again just whisks you away, at least for the first hour or so. I think if I would have been absolutely wasted I wouldn't have minded when I caught a guy with his hand in my pocket staring me dead in the eye as if to say 'why don't you have any money in there?' Regardless, dancing in the streets next to a semi truck blasting the music of some braziilian band that everyone seems to love , singing songs I didn't know the words to an hour prior, I'd say its worth it.
I am a bit more hesitant to say my Monday night endeavor was as successful. Gabby and I got seperated from the rest of the group and ended up walking the entire downtown parade route. A walk that would normally take 30-40 mintues took us close to 3 hours. We had death grips on each others hands, because if one was to let go the other would literally be swept away in the crowd. There were points where I actually was making no effort to move; the force behind me so stong that my legs were forced to walk forward to the left and to the right.
A common practice amoung men here is to grab, touch, molest and attempt to kiss any girl they see. As Gabby and I made our way through the seemingly endless mob of people I started to charge ahead during a break in the music. As I broke into a slow walk (the fastest pace I ever went) I realized that Gabby wasn't moving. I whipped my head back to see that some man had his arms wrapped around her waist. I turned and walked against the crowd (not advisable) and in what I would consider something close to a bout of rage, I elbowed the guy who tried to lock me into some sick make-out pose, put my arms around Gabby and did some sort of spin forklift move that freed her.
We finally met up with the rest of the group who had a similar experience going down a side street, that also had a parade on it. I'm glad I went out and was able to see the entire route and party how the locals party, but I'm not sure I would do it again...sober.
Fuck. Fuck you to all the people who have molested me in the streets. Who have grabbed me by the hair to try and kiss me; to the countless people who had their hands in my pockets searching for money. But fuck it was amazing.
I want to describe my last couple of days at Carnaval as the craziest thing I have ever seen in my life, but I feel crazy just doesn’t do justice to the utter mayhem of Carnaval. No more will I ever say Vegas is the craziest place on earth. No doubt Salvador’s Carnalval has got it beat.
I have been feeling better since my ‘hospitalization’ (besides the cold I now have from being crammed in the streets with millions of other people for hours on end) and have braved the pipoca crowds twice now. Once on Saturday and again on Monday. Tonight is the last night of Carnaval and I am a bit dissappointed that I wasn't able to participate and see more. But with my energy being as low as it is, and still being on a soda cracker diet, I have to take what I can get, or rather what I can stand. Maybe when I'm old and gray I'll journey back and see how Carnaval has changed....anyway...
There are two different parade routes in Salvador, one more traditional in the down town/historic center and the other just added a few years ago running along the beach, near our house.
On Saturday Meghan (my roommate) and I went to Barra (the beach route) to jump and dance in the street. There have been heavy rain storms for the past few weeks leaving the streets filled with mud. Mix the mud with trash everywhere from Carnaval-goers, and an overwhelming smell of urine and bo and the scene is set. Surprisingly the spirit of Carnaval, the singing of the same 10 songs over and over again just whisks you away, at least for the first hour or so. I think if I would have been absolutely wasted I wouldn't have minded when I caught a guy with his hand in my pocket staring me dead in the eye as if to say 'why don't you have any money in there?' Regardless, dancing in the streets next to a semi truck blasting the music of some braziilian band that everyone seems to love , singing songs I didn't know the words to an hour prior, I'd say its worth it.
I am a bit more hesitant to say my Monday night endeavor was as successful. Gabby and I got seperated from the rest of the group and ended up walking the entire downtown parade route. A walk that would normally take 30-40 mintues took us close to 3 hours. We had death grips on each others hands, because if one was to let go the other would literally be swept away in the crowd. There were points where I actually was making no effort to move; the force behind me so stong that my legs were forced to walk forward to the left and to the right.
A common practice amoung men here is to grab, touch, molest and attempt to kiss any girl they see. As Gabby and I made our way through the seemingly endless mob of people I started to charge ahead during a break in the music. As I broke into a slow walk (the fastest pace I ever went) I realized that Gabby wasn't moving. I whipped my head back to see that some man had his arms wrapped around her waist. I turned and walked against the crowd (not advisable) and in what I would consider something close to a bout of rage, I elbowed the guy who tried to lock me into some sick make-out pose, put my arms around Gabby and did some sort of spin forklift move that freed her.
We finally met up with the rest of the group who had a similar experience going down a side street, that also had a parade on it. I'm glad I went out and was able to see the entire route and party how the locals party, but I'm not sure I would do it again...sober.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Carne Vale!
I’m not sure Carnaval would be complete for me without a trip to the emergency room and a 6-hour stay in the hospital. I would love to say that I partied like a rock star but unfortunately I had some sort of food poisoning/24 flu that had me curled up in the bathroom, sick as a dog for the entirety of Thursday night.
My trip to the ER was pretty pleasant. I went to the private hospital, and it was the first time I had really come in contact with Salvador’s upper class. I am hoping this is my first and last time to the hospital on this trip.
An hour after returning from the hospital and 5 bags of saline later I was ready to go to my Camarote, which is an organized party on the parade route.
I wasn’t able to drink or eat anything at a party that was open bar and fully catered, but still being able to watch the carnival parade and all the crazy people in the street was spectacular.
There were millions of people in the street, some in organized Blocos that followed the semi trucks that carried the different bands but most of the people go ‘pipoca’ (popcorn) just smashed in the crowd dancing around drinking their .50 cent beers.
Most people from Salvador will tell you that Carnaval is very commercialized now and that 15 years ago Carnaval was celebrated how it should be. But for me it was still amazing and definitely unlike anything I have ever seen before.
I am hoping to make up for my less than stellar performance last night in the next couple of days of Carnaval. If not I’m sure Rio will offer me limitless opportunities to party.
My trip to the ER was pretty pleasant. I went to the private hospital, and it was the first time I had really come in contact with Salvador’s upper class. I am hoping this is my first and last time to the hospital on this trip.
An hour after returning from the hospital and 5 bags of saline later I was ready to go to my Camarote, which is an organized party on the parade route.
I wasn’t able to drink or eat anything at a party that was open bar and fully catered, but still being able to watch the carnival parade and all the crazy people in the street was spectacular.
There were millions of people in the street, some in organized Blocos that followed the semi trucks that carried the different bands but most of the people go ‘pipoca’ (popcorn) just smashed in the crowd dancing around drinking their .50 cent beers.
Most people from Salvador will tell you that Carnaval is very commercialized now and that 15 years ago Carnaval was celebrated how it should be. But for me it was still amazing and definitely unlike anything I have ever seen before.
I am hoping to make up for my less than stellar performance last night in the next couple of days of Carnaval. If not I’m sure Rio will offer me limitless opportunities to party.
Monday, February 05, 2007
The New People
As of Saturday our house has been replenished with new volunteers, replacing the ones that were only able to stay for a couple of weeks. It’s odd having new people around. The age and gender dynamic has changed a bit, now including a handful of men and the average age has probably gone up to about mid twenties.
Last Wednesday a couple of the girls and I attended a soccer game. Bahia (the local team) is in the third division and judging by their performance I would say they are in dead last. Besides the fact that the soccer was crap the atmosphere was crazy. The fans are so passionate about their team and their players. Being some of the only girls there and definitely the only white girls, we were the quite a spectacle. I was interviewed on the news, and during half time there was a huge group surrounding us, trying to speak English, as if we were celebrities.
Friday was a holiday of sorts for the Condomble God Iemanjá. Iemanjá is the goddess of the sea and every February 2nd thousands of people line the streets to give her gifts of flowers and perfume. The morning and afternoon of the festival is mostly people waiting in line to give their offerings, but when the boats carry all the presents out to sea at 4pm a full on block party begins. I was only able to brave the heat for a couple hours in the morning, but in those few hours I saw a woman become “entranced” on the beach, many different parades and hundreds of baskets of flowers being loaded into the boats to go out to sea.
That night we attended the Ballet Folklorico. It was an absolutely stunning performance of the different traditional Brazilian, Bahian, and Condomble dances. They even had a fire eater! The theater is the tiniest little thing and you practically sit on stage as men flip around with swords in their hands. After the ballet we went to dinner at a posh sushi restaurant. I was so excited to have something besides rice and beans for dinner. The food was great and the restaurant jutted right out into the bay, which made for a fantastic breeze and great view.
My activities for the rest of the weekend included a wide variety of alcohol and company. Sunday we went to a bbq at one of our Brazilian friend’s house and ended up staying there for close to 10 hours, talking, singing, dancing, swimming, drinking and more drinking. Needless to say this morning was a bit rough and I have taken the entire day to recover.
I have firmed up my travel plans for post Salvador and will be doing a 4 day Amazon tour with another girl here and then moving on to Rio. I can’t believe how quickly time has gone by.
Last Wednesday a couple of the girls and I attended a soccer game. Bahia (the local team) is in the third division and judging by their performance I would say they are in dead last. Besides the fact that the soccer was crap the atmosphere was crazy. The fans are so passionate about their team and their players. Being some of the only girls there and definitely the only white girls, we were the quite a spectacle. I was interviewed on the news, and during half time there was a huge group surrounding us, trying to speak English, as if we were celebrities.
Friday was a holiday of sorts for the Condomble God Iemanjá. Iemanjá is the goddess of the sea and every February 2nd thousands of people line the streets to give her gifts of flowers and perfume. The morning and afternoon of the festival is mostly people waiting in line to give their offerings, but when the boats carry all the presents out to sea at 4pm a full on block party begins. I was only able to brave the heat for a couple hours in the morning, but in those few hours I saw a woman become “entranced” on the beach, many different parades and hundreds of baskets of flowers being loaded into the boats to go out to sea.
That night we attended the Ballet Folklorico. It was an absolutely stunning performance of the different traditional Brazilian, Bahian, and Condomble dances. They even had a fire eater! The theater is the tiniest little thing and you practically sit on stage as men flip around with swords in their hands. After the ballet we went to dinner at a posh sushi restaurant. I was so excited to have something besides rice and beans for dinner. The food was great and the restaurant jutted right out into the bay, which made for a fantastic breeze and great view.
My activities for the rest of the weekend included a wide variety of alcohol and company. Sunday we went to a bbq at one of our Brazilian friend’s house and ended up staying there for close to 10 hours, talking, singing, dancing, swimming, drinking and more drinking. Needless to say this morning was a bit rough and I have taken the entire day to recover.
I have firmed up my travel plans for post Salvador and will be doing a 4 day Amazon tour with another girl here and then moving on to Rio. I can’t believe how quickly time has gone by.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Where the livin' is easy
I've just returned from a weekend away on the gorgeous island of Morro De Sao Paulo. It was so nice to be able to escape the bustle of the city and do some good ol relaxing.
Morro is a quaint little tourist town where the main mode of transportation is wheelbarrow. They do not have any paved streets, only sand. We stayed on the most popular beach in a hostel I can only describe as looking some what reminiscent of a jail cell. The shower, or as I referred to it, the showlet, was in the same space as the toilet, so essentially you could kill two birds with one stone if you really felt it necessary. But we were literally 20 feet from the biggest beach party at night and for $15 a night during peak season I would say we got off well.
It's back to work tomorrow which I am both looking forward to and dreading. We all had a very trying week last week as things at MT took a bad turn. All of the kids are getting very sick and it seems none are getting better. On friday we only had 4 kids there(3 of which were running fevers)as the rest where in the hospital. Their caretaker had a breakdown on Thursday when one of the little boys started vomiting all over the place. Her reaction makes me think that these kids are in much poorer health than they let on.
While MT does an excellent job taking care of the kids, the children go home with their parent(s) on the weekend. I think it's important for the kids to have that maternal contact, but when it appears none of them have been fed, washed or nurtured when they return on Monday, it's a bit angering that they allow them to go home at all.
In fact it's interesting to see the mood of all the children change as the week goes on. Even though they are only a few years old, they understand what Friday means and many become very withdrawn and sad.
Don't worry, I've been keeping very busy otherwise so life isn't as depressing as the last paragraph makes it sound.
I went on a day trip last weekend to a town called Cachoeira. We ate lunch at a former convent, now a restaurant and inn, toured a cigar factory, walked around the creepiest art exhibit I have ever seen in my life, and snapped a lot of phots of a place far different, far more rural and untouched by tourism, than Salvador. The Boa Morte (Good Death) all female Condomble group is very big there and if we had chosen to stay later we could have attended a seance up in the hills of Cachoeira. Unfortunately catching busses at night is not the safest thing, so we had to leave before the seance.
I'm sure there will be another chance though....
Morro is a quaint little tourist town where the main mode of transportation is wheelbarrow. They do not have any paved streets, only sand. We stayed on the most popular beach in a hostel I can only describe as looking some what reminiscent of a jail cell. The shower, or as I referred to it, the showlet, was in the same space as the toilet, so essentially you could kill two birds with one stone if you really felt it necessary. But we were literally 20 feet from the biggest beach party at night and for $15 a night during peak season I would say we got off well.
It's back to work tomorrow which I am both looking forward to and dreading. We all had a very trying week last week as things at MT took a bad turn. All of the kids are getting very sick and it seems none are getting better. On friday we only had 4 kids there(3 of which were running fevers)as the rest where in the hospital. Their caretaker had a breakdown on Thursday when one of the little boys started vomiting all over the place. Her reaction makes me think that these kids are in much poorer health than they let on.
While MT does an excellent job taking care of the kids, the children go home with their parent(s) on the weekend. I think it's important for the kids to have that maternal contact, but when it appears none of them have been fed, washed or nurtured when they return on Monday, it's a bit angering that they allow them to go home at all.
In fact it's interesting to see the mood of all the children change as the week goes on. Even though they are only a few years old, they understand what Friday means and many become very withdrawn and sad.
Don't worry, I've been keeping very busy otherwise so life isn't as depressing as the last paragraph makes it sound.
I went on a day trip last weekend to a town called Cachoeira. We ate lunch at a former convent, now a restaurant and inn, toured a cigar factory, walked around the creepiest art exhibit I have ever seen in my life, and snapped a lot of phots of a place far different, far more rural and untouched by tourism, than Salvador. The Boa Morte (Good Death) all female Condomble group is very big there and if we had chosen to stay later we could have attended a seance up in the hills of Cachoeira. Unfortunately catching busses at night is not the safest thing, so we had to leave before the seance.
I'm sure there will be another chance though....
Friday, January 19, 2007
Just a slice of life
Thankfully this week has gone by much quicker than the last. The heat just really wears me down and I find it hard to resist a daily afternoon nap after work.
While I still can't speak in complete grammatically correct sentences, my Portuguese is improving. I don't necessarily need to speak Portuguese at Mother Teresa as the kids only screech and the old women usually just stare at me blankly. But with the few things I do know I have been able to learn quite a lot about the backgrounds of the kids and women who reside at MT. Each story is so sad, especially the childrens', and it's really depressing to think of the lives these kids will have to go back to once they leave MT.
I of course have my favorite kids, Kyle and Nicole. Nicole is the cutest little chubster of the bunch and just loves potty time, even when she's nowhere near a toilet. She and I got off to a rough start when she jammed herself into a doorway and screamed bloody murder any time I came near her. But now we trust each other and even cuddle during lunch time. Kyle is whom I get most of my Portuguese practice with, such as 'stop hitting' and 'sit down'. He has some sort of infection in his mouth so he can't eat solid foods and therefore has a lot of stomach issues. He is constantly screaming and hitting but it’s only because of the pain. He's just a jem.
At home we've been getting out pretty regularly after work to visit different markets, museums and festivals. Since Carnival is just around the corner many drumming groups practice nightly in the town center. They are really a unique site to see.
Last week we went to the Nuestro Senhor Do Bomfin Festival. (Translating roughly into: Our father of good endings) Ten of thousands of people descend on the streets for a 10k walk ending at the BomFin church to celebrate side by side, Catholicism and Condomble, the religion brought from Africa with the Slave trade.
When slaves first arrived in Salvador they were not allowed to practice their own religion and therefore disguised their worship under the pretense that they were worshipping Catholic saints and other figures. Therefore almost all Condomble Orixas (gods) have a corresponding Catholic entity.
Nuestro Senhor Do Bomfin celebrates both Jesus and Oxala. Many people welcome both Catholicism and Condomble in their lives and don't judge if their neighbor only follows one. It is intensely moving to be in a city where everyone believes in God, and even more powerful to experience the emotion that brings them all together, regardless of belief.
While I still can't speak in complete grammatically correct sentences, my Portuguese is improving. I don't necessarily need to speak Portuguese at Mother Teresa as the kids only screech and the old women usually just stare at me blankly. But with the few things I do know I have been able to learn quite a lot about the backgrounds of the kids and women who reside at MT. Each story is so sad, especially the childrens', and it's really depressing to think of the lives these kids will have to go back to once they leave MT.
I of course have my favorite kids, Kyle and Nicole. Nicole is the cutest little chubster of the bunch and just loves potty time, even when she's nowhere near a toilet. She and I got off to a rough start when she jammed herself into a doorway and screamed bloody murder any time I came near her. But now we trust each other and even cuddle during lunch time. Kyle is whom I get most of my Portuguese practice with, such as 'stop hitting' and 'sit down'. He has some sort of infection in his mouth so he can't eat solid foods and therefore has a lot of stomach issues. He is constantly screaming and hitting but it’s only because of the pain. He's just a jem.
At home we've been getting out pretty regularly after work to visit different markets, museums and festivals. Since Carnival is just around the corner many drumming groups practice nightly in the town center. They are really a unique site to see.
Last week we went to the Nuestro Senhor Do Bomfin Festival. (Translating roughly into: Our father of good endings) Ten of thousands of people descend on the streets for a 10k walk ending at the BomFin church to celebrate side by side, Catholicism and Condomble, the religion brought from Africa with the Slave trade.
When slaves first arrived in Salvador they were not allowed to practice their own religion and therefore disguised their worship under the pretense that they were worshipping Catholic saints and other figures. Therefore almost all Condomble Orixas (gods) have a corresponding Catholic entity.
Nuestro Senhor Do Bomfin celebrates both Jesus and Oxala. Many people welcome both Catholicism and Condomble in their lives and don't judge if their neighbor only follows one. It is intensely moving to be in a city where everyone believes in God, and even more powerful to experience the emotion that brings them all together, regardless of belief.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
The Beginning
Well I wouldn’t say things went terribly on my flight down here. Besides all 4 of my flights being delayed and being awake for more than 40 hours straight, everything was really nice. I was able to enjoy a live mariachi band at the Duty Free in the Lima Airport at 3am. The airline also gave me a complementary meal in the airport because of the delay.
I am currently living in the neighborhood of Graca, which by Latin American standards is pretty nice. The house is huge, 5 floors and houses 30 people. I share a room with 7 others girls, which I thought would be a nightmare but has actually worked out quite well. We have the largest room by far and most everyone communicates via sarcasm, so I fit right in.
The girls, yes I live with 30 girls, range from 18 to late 30's and are all just a kick. For most, this is their first time to a Latin American country so most are still in culture shock. The program does almost too good of a job educating everyone on the dangers of a large city. I feel like I can’t turn around without someone asking if its safe to wear a skirt outside or earrings to a bar. It’s a bit unfortunate this mistrust as most people are more than kind.
That being said, while we still live in a nice area, we only live down the hill from a favela. While these favelas aren’t nearly as poor as the ones we work in, poverty and crime are still just right in our backyard.
Work is been pretty tiring. The house is home to 8 children, mostly 1 and 2 years old, and elderly women. Days consist of cleaning in the morning, talking with the old women and then helping with the children in the afternoon. All but one of the elderly women seem to suffer from dementia or are unable to speak. It’s been a challenge finding things to do with them. For the most part the children are well behaved but can sometimes be total terrors.
The nuns run the house on a strict schedule, which is nice for the volunteers because it provides a great structure that seems to be lacking from all the other volunteers' programs. Because of this regimented day, the house retains a very peaceful atmosphere and is extremely clean.
I honestly have never seem anything like the fevela we work in. My group is the last to be dropped off in the morning and most of the ride to work is reminiscent of downtown LA. It’s right around this clay soccer field that the neighborhood gets extremely poor; many houses lacking proper roofs, some just 4 cement walls. My work is at the base of the favela, so a glance up the hill reveals even worse poverty. It’s all very emotionally and physically draining.
Of course I take care to get a few drinks in when I can. The night life is great, drinks are cheap and Carnival season is in full swing!
Ate Logo.
I am currently living in the neighborhood of Graca, which by Latin American standards is pretty nice. The house is huge, 5 floors and houses 30 people. I share a room with 7 others girls, which I thought would be a nightmare but has actually worked out quite well. We have the largest room by far and most everyone communicates via sarcasm, so I fit right in.
The girls, yes I live with 30 girls, range from 18 to late 30's and are all just a kick. For most, this is their first time to a Latin American country so most are still in culture shock. The program does almost too good of a job educating everyone on the dangers of a large city. I feel like I can’t turn around without someone asking if its safe to wear a skirt outside or earrings to a bar. It’s a bit unfortunate this mistrust as most people are more than kind.
That being said, while we still live in a nice area, we only live down the hill from a favela. While these favelas aren’t nearly as poor as the ones we work in, poverty and crime are still just right in our backyard.
Work is been pretty tiring. The house is home to 8 children, mostly 1 and 2 years old, and elderly women. Days consist of cleaning in the morning, talking with the old women and then helping with the children in the afternoon. All but one of the elderly women seem to suffer from dementia or are unable to speak. It’s been a challenge finding things to do with them. For the most part the children are well behaved but can sometimes be total terrors.
The nuns run the house on a strict schedule, which is nice for the volunteers because it provides a great structure that seems to be lacking from all the other volunteers' programs. Because of this regimented day, the house retains a very peaceful atmosphere and is extremely clean.
I honestly have never seem anything like the fevela we work in. My group is the last to be dropped off in the morning and most of the ride to work is reminiscent of downtown LA. It’s right around this clay soccer field that the neighborhood gets extremely poor; many houses lacking proper roofs, some just 4 cement walls. My work is at the base of the favela, so a glance up the hill reveals even worse poverty. It’s all very emotionally and physically draining.
Of course I take care to get a few drinks in when I can. The night life is great, drinks are cheap and Carnival season is in full swing!
Ate Logo.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Setting Sail
Just one day to go until I get on one of my many flights that will eventually land me in Salvador, Brazil.
I received an email last night confirming my placement with the partner organization Madre Tereza, Missionaries of Charity. The organization was founded by none other than Mother Teresa in 1950. The first house was opened in Brazil in 1979. The brief description tells me that, “the sisters serve the poorest of the poor. Working with abandoned women, the elderly, and malnourished children, the organization receives no help from the government.”
I’m not exactly sure what I will be doing there, but am very excited! I guess my dreams of micro-finance will have to wait until next time.
So assuming nothing goes drastically wrong I will post again from Brazil!
I received an email last night confirming my placement with the partner organization Madre Tereza, Missionaries of Charity. The organization was founded by none other than Mother Teresa in 1950. The first house was opened in Brazil in 1979. The brief description tells me that, “the sisters serve the poorest of the poor. Working with abandoned women, the elderly, and malnourished children, the organization receives no help from the government.”
I’m not exactly sure what I will be doing there, but am very excited! I guess my dreams of micro-finance will have to wait until next time.
So assuming nothing goes drastically wrong I will post again from Brazil!
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