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.
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