So, I got to this town Mercedes yesterday in northern Argentina, after spending some time in the cities Santa Fe & Parana, 8 hours south by bus. I'm really only here as a stop to get to this National Park called Esteros del Ibera, which are supposed to have some of the most diverse wildlife in the world after the Pantanal in Brazil.
Anyways, its a tiny little town filled with Gaucho's (Argentinian cowboys). They are also professionals at the siesta here. Yesterday, I went hungry from 1-4pm cause the whole town was shut down.
It's actually not that bad of a town. Anyways, I got sick a few days ago, I think due to the cold air Friday night in my room, and it came to full fruitation as I arrived here yesterday. Instead of a 1 night stopover, I'll probably stay here 3 or 4 days now to recuperate.
So the hostel I am staying at, I can't tell if its just really crappy, or it is just that I am in the middle of nowhere and this is kind of how it is. For example:
-Kitchen faucet squirts water in my face
-Shower curtain has hole causing water to drip into bathroom floor(bathrooms normally have floor drains and floor squegee here so not the end of the world)
-Had to ask them to turn the water on to flush the toilet (valve was closed)
-Had to ask to shower with hot water yesterday, no problem. Today, however, something is broken, and it's been 6 hours with no fixture, so no shower.
-Had to ask to get gas turned on to cook today.
-Teapot in kitchen had paint chips in it. Glad I looked first.
-No can opener. Glad the can happened to have a tab on it yesterday.
-The rest of the pots and pans look like they are from WWII. Although from other hostels I am now used to pots with no handles, saute pans with no handles, etc. I could probably cook with any piece of semicircular metal at this point.
-I'm used to bread and jam/butter for breakfast now, Argentine style. But this place gave me 10 peices of a small biscotti like bread. Maybe it used to be fresh, and got a little hard. I did have a small amount of jam and butter to go, though. No dulce de leche.
-Stretching it a little, the mattress is quite thin.
However, it is not tourist season here, so there is nobody in my dorm room, which is great, because I was able to hack my lungs away and blow my nose out as well last night. There is a really picturesque court in the middle, and the building feels like a ranch house, so quaint would be a good word to describe it. Also, the internet is actually pretty good here, so I can write really uplifting blogs such as this! All in all, kind of a crappy hostel, but what can you expect from a Gaucho town in the middle of nowhere in Argentina. It happens. Long trip.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
3 Months Already?
Holy Crap! It's been more than 3 Months! I made a top 10 list to recap, if simply for my own enjoyment & recollection. There are really many many runner ups, but hey, anything more than 10 would just be weird.
1) Carnival in Rio: This would have been a cultural explosion without the host I had. But with Brian and his family, I spent my days like a regular Carioci, going to the best blocos, meeting all his friends, eating home cooked feijoada, and participating in the official Carnival parade in the Sambodromo. Unbelievable.
All the different colors in the photo really bring out the Carnival/Rio experience:
2) Easter Island: Like a paradise. Free to walk anywhere on the island amongst the roving horses and view the Polynesian plants, see waves crashing against the cliffs, and view amazing sunsets with a backdrop of Maori statues.
Hanging with the Maori:
3) Hiking Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina: Never will I climb on a glacier again with crampons. Incredible scenery. Plus, the freshest water I’ve ever tasted my entire life.
4) Staying with a family in Ushuaia, Argentina: I could not have learned more about the farthest south city in the world without this family. Plus, we went on amazing hikes I would not have gone on, and shared many homecooked meals.
5) Spending 3 weeks in Buenos Aires. Meeting many people in many Rotaract clubs. Making great new friend with Lautaro, whom I couchsurfed with for about 4 days in Feb and 5 days in April (plus who helped me replace my lost credit card!). Staying with and going out with Brian from Columbia/Jersey. Sucking at the Tango on two occasions. Making friends with all the people living at the hostel I stayed at for 10 nights. Wandering the plazas and parks.
Three weeks requires at least two photos:
6) Being taken, 100% unknowingly, to a whorehouse in Sao Paulo. It is #1 for most uncomfortable experiences. It was topped off with the fact that Bruno, whom I had met about 30 minutes prior, didn’t speak 1 word of English, and thought he was doing me a great service. Shopping para mujeres, as he calls it. Maybe I should learn the phrase ‘Get me out of here ASAP’ in Portuguese before I go back to Sao Paulo. Hilariously awful experience.
I have no photos of this or of Bruno (sadly I did not get any with him). So here's my friend Thiago in Sao Paulo:
7) Floods in Montevideo with Gonzalo: I don’t know why , but it was a thing to remember, having to run from the Governor’s palace (which we were inside afterhours, nonetheless) to the car with my friend Gonzalo in Montevideo, getting 100% drenched, then driving home for 30 minutes whilst not being able to see a damn thing, and watching stuff float down the streets. Inundacion.
8) Drinking Mate with hosts: Mate in Montevideo. Mate in Buenos Aires. Mate in Mendoza. Mate in Bariloche. Mate in Santiago. Mate everywhere. Gotta love this stuff and how ingrained it is in the culture of Uruguay, Argentina, and somewhat in Chile.
9) Bus Rides: Truly the best way to see the countries. The winding road between Mendoza & Santiago was the most ridiculous stretch (especially considering that the Aconcagua mountain is the tallest in the western hemisphere).
10) Lima: By far the most chaotic, disorganized, city of my trip. For simply that, I actually liked the city. Taking a bus is truly an adventure there. Thank you Marco & Renzo for helping me negotiate the system and preventing injury when my Spanish sucked royally. It’s a pity every traveler I have met says they hate the city. It has a lot to offer, even if you end up with the runs.
I’m sure once I go to Paraguay, return to Brazil for awhile, make my way back through the Pantanal to Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, & Colombia, the list will double, haha.
*Most terrifying moment: At 3am somewhere over the pitch black Brazilian jungle, the plane started moving violently then did one of those very large instant drops. The whole cabin screamed. I thought I was gonna plummet into the Jungle at that point, haha.
Other really cool stuff:
-Going to a semi final soccer match in Rio at Maracana Stadium. Vasco da Gama vs Fluminese. The subway after was ridiculous afterwards between Carnival & Soccer people.
-Eating Anticuchos in Lima
-Going to a Parilla in Montevideo & a Churrascaria in Rio.
-Feria de Matadores in Buenos Aires
-Visiting wineries in Mendoza
-Going to a birthday party with Ulises in Maipu, outside of Mendoza
-Going to Nati's friends aunt's house in the mountains outside of Santiago, Chile.
-Parque Tierra del Fuego Ushuaia.
-Going out with Brian & his Colombian friends in Buenos Aires.
-Learning to make empanadas twice in Bariloche & Ushuaia.
-Rush Hour subway rides in Buenos Aires.
-Seeing the houses on Ancud, Chiloe & Punta Arenas, Chile
-Seeing people use horses as a method of transportation in Montevideo & elsewhere
-Walter's Birthday festivities in Parana
1) Carnival in Rio: This would have been a cultural explosion without the host I had. But with Brian and his family, I spent my days like a regular Carioci, going to the best blocos, meeting all his friends, eating home cooked feijoada, and participating in the official Carnival parade in the Sambodromo. Unbelievable.
All the different colors in the photo really bring out the Carnival/Rio experience:
2) Easter Island: Like a paradise. Free to walk anywhere on the island amongst the roving horses and view the Polynesian plants, see waves crashing against the cliffs, and view amazing sunsets with a backdrop of Maori statues.
Hanging with the Maori:
3) Hiking Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina: Never will I climb on a glacier again with crampons. Incredible scenery. Plus, the freshest water I’ve ever tasted my entire life.
4) Staying with a family in Ushuaia, Argentina: I could not have learned more about the farthest south city in the world without this family. Plus, we went on amazing hikes I would not have gone on, and shared many homecooked meals.
5) Spending 3 weeks in Buenos Aires. Meeting many people in many Rotaract clubs. Making great new friend with Lautaro, whom I couchsurfed with for about 4 days in Feb and 5 days in April (plus who helped me replace my lost credit card!). Staying with and going out with Brian from Columbia/Jersey. Sucking at the Tango on two occasions. Making friends with all the people living at the hostel I stayed at for 10 nights. Wandering the plazas and parks.
Three weeks requires at least two photos:
6) Being taken, 100% unknowingly, to a whorehouse in Sao Paulo. It is #1 for most uncomfortable experiences. It was topped off with the fact that Bruno, whom I had met about 30 minutes prior, didn’t speak 1 word of English, and thought he was doing me a great service. Shopping para mujeres, as he calls it. Maybe I should learn the phrase ‘Get me out of here ASAP’ in Portuguese before I go back to Sao Paulo. Hilariously awful experience.
I have no photos of this or of Bruno (sadly I did not get any with him). So here's my friend Thiago in Sao Paulo:
7) Floods in Montevideo with Gonzalo: I don’t know why , but it was a thing to remember, having to run from the Governor’s palace (which we were inside afterhours, nonetheless) to the car with my friend Gonzalo in Montevideo, getting 100% drenched, then driving home for 30 minutes whilst not being able to see a damn thing, and watching stuff float down the streets. Inundacion.
8) Drinking Mate with hosts: Mate in Montevideo. Mate in Buenos Aires. Mate in Mendoza. Mate in Bariloche. Mate in Santiago. Mate everywhere. Gotta love this stuff and how ingrained it is in the culture of Uruguay, Argentina, and somewhat in Chile.
9) Bus Rides: Truly the best way to see the countries. The winding road between Mendoza & Santiago was the most ridiculous stretch (especially considering that the Aconcagua mountain is the tallest in the western hemisphere).
10) Lima: By far the most chaotic, disorganized, city of my trip. For simply that, I actually liked the city. Taking a bus is truly an adventure there. Thank you Marco & Renzo for helping me negotiate the system and preventing injury when my Spanish sucked royally. It’s a pity every traveler I have met says they hate the city. It has a lot to offer, even if you end up with the runs.
I’m sure once I go to Paraguay, return to Brazil for awhile, make my way back through the Pantanal to Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, & Colombia, the list will double, haha.
*Most terrifying moment: At 3am somewhere over the pitch black Brazilian jungle, the plane started moving violently then did one of those very large instant drops. The whole cabin screamed. I thought I was gonna plummet into the Jungle at that point, haha.
Other really cool stuff:
-Going to a semi final soccer match in Rio at Maracana Stadium. Vasco da Gama vs Fluminese. The subway after was ridiculous afterwards between Carnival & Soccer people.
-Eating Anticuchos in Lima
-Going to a Parilla in Montevideo & a Churrascaria in Rio.
-Feria de Matadores in Buenos Aires
-Visiting wineries in Mendoza
-Going to a birthday party with Ulises in Maipu, outside of Mendoza
-Going to Nati's friends aunt's house in the mountains outside of Santiago, Chile.
-Parque Tierra del Fuego Ushuaia.
-Going out with Brian & his Colombian friends in Buenos Aires.
-Learning to make empanadas twice in Bariloche & Ushuaia.
-Rush Hour subway rides in Buenos Aires.
-Seeing the houses on Ancud, Chiloe & Punta Arenas, Chile
-Seeing people use horses as a method of transportation in Montevideo & elsewhere
-Walter's Birthday festivities in Parana
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
From Rosario
Rosario is about 4 hours by bus from Buenos Aires. It sits on the River Parana. It has always sat in the shadow of Buenos Aires. Three times they tried to become the capital, each time succeeding in vote, but getting vetoed by the President in Buenos Aires. It also seems to me that is the start of a somewhat tropical feel that will just continue as I go north. The river has some pretty decent vegetation on the other side, and although winter is approaching, it is sill 60-70 degrees.
It is known for several things. First being the birthplace and city where Che Guevara grew up. I walked by the apartment building. There was nothing more than a sign outside indicating this was the place. For all I know, there probably is someone living in the apartment he grew up in. I suppose I was looking for a museumm or some information, but maybe it is good that they aren't totally exploiting this fact.
The other thing it is known for is a COLOSSAL monument to Manuel Belgrano, creator of the Argentinian flag. Here, he first raised the flag in 1812. This guy was important...there are streets named after him in every city. The monument has three parts. The first is a HUGE monolith. Then, there is a Greek palace type area with columns, a giant courtyard with steps, and finally a bridge leading to this.
The colors at night make are like the flag:
There's even a nice fire in the middle of the columns:
So I spent a few days walking around. On Monday night, I headed to a meeting of the Rotaract club, with was good because I got to meet some people from Rosario. After, we went out to dinner.
Cheesy photo:
Tuesday night, I went to a couchsurfing meeting called the 'Polyglot' meeting. It was basically for everybody to come and speak a lot of languages. I was impressed that about 40 people showed up to this, from places like Israel, Australia, Germany, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Italy, and different parts of Argentina. So, it was great, because basically it was a bunch of people practicing languages and correcting each other. Of course, English and Spanish were the default languages. There were plenty of people fluent in English, but I was able to help some people as well (in addition to being corrected myself in Spanish most of the time). One random random thing that happened at the couchsurfing meeting was I bumped into a girl and guy from Long Beach, CA. Well anyways, they were Rotary scholars, studying in Rosario, and so of course they report to Jorge in Chicago who coordinates the Latin America programs (for people who don't know, Jorge was President of Rotaract Chicago while I was Vice President). So that was just a realllly random run-in. Also, the couple I met from Lima knew the guy I stayed with there way back in February, so that was just another odd coincidence.
I went up the Obelist (flag monument), for some good views of Rosario:
I went to a history museum. They had a collection of High Roller Mate's from the 1800s or so. Nothing like drinking mate out of solid gold and silver:
This is something I found very funny. This electric water heater has a temperature setting for Mate. They really are serious about the temperature, can't be too hot, can't be too cold:
It is known for several things. First being the birthplace and city where Che Guevara grew up. I walked by the apartment building. There was nothing more than a sign outside indicating this was the place. For all I know, there probably is someone living in the apartment he grew up in. I suppose I was looking for a museumm or some information, but maybe it is good that they aren't totally exploiting this fact.
The other thing it is known for is a COLOSSAL monument to Manuel Belgrano, creator of the Argentinian flag. Here, he first raised the flag in 1812. This guy was important...there are streets named after him in every city. The monument has three parts. The first is a HUGE monolith. Then, there is a Greek palace type area with columns, a giant courtyard with steps, and finally a bridge leading to this.
The colors at night make are like the flag:
There's even a nice fire in the middle of the columns:
So I spent a few days walking around. On Monday night, I headed to a meeting of the Rotaract club, with was good because I got to meet some people from Rosario. After, we went out to dinner.
Cheesy photo:
Tuesday night, I went to a couchsurfing meeting called the 'Polyglot' meeting. It was basically for everybody to come and speak a lot of languages. I was impressed that about 40 people showed up to this, from places like Israel, Australia, Germany, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Italy, and different parts of Argentina. So, it was great, because basically it was a bunch of people practicing languages and correcting each other. Of course, English and Spanish were the default languages. There were plenty of people fluent in English, but I was able to help some people as well (in addition to being corrected myself in Spanish most of the time). One random random thing that happened at the couchsurfing meeting was I bumped into a girl and guy from Long Beach, CA. Well anyways, they were Rotary scholars, studying in Rosario, and so of course they report to Jorge in Chicago who coordinates the Latin America programs (for people who don't know, Jorge was President of Rotaract Chicago while I was Vice President). So that was just a realllly random run-in. Also, the couple I met from Lima knew the guy I stayed with there way back in February, so that was just another odd coincidence.
I went up the Obelist (flag monument), for some good views of Rosario:
I went to a history museum. They had a collection of High Roller Mate's from the 1800s or so. Nothing like drinking mate out of solid gold and silver:
This is something I found very funny. This electric water heater has a temperature setting for Mate. They really are serious about the temperature, can't be too hot, can't be too cold:
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Finally Leaving!
Well, I've spent almost 3 weeks in Buenos Aires, and am heading out tomorrow finally. It's a great city and you can't run out of things to do and people to meet. My fav city along with Rio, but both totally different. I probably could spend 3 more weeks here.
This is Buenos Aires:
I felt like I got to know the city pretty well, to the point where I knew the names of many neighborhoods and could talk about where things were located with respect to streets. Mainly that is because it is a very easy city to get to know; like Chicago, it is fairly grid like (although Chicago must be the world's most ultimate grid), and once you know the main streets, and can read numbers, your set. Also, it was great to stay for awhile because I got to see people multiple times...Most of the time I meet someone or some people and I'm leaving in a day or two, so it was great to be able to tell people I was here for a few weeks to try to meet up again.
View from hostel balcony:
This building was too cool and ridiculously ornate not to take a picture. I have no clue what it is:
Random Observations:
-PRINT MORE COINS. It is a struggle when buying almost anything at a supermarket. The cashiers always ask you for coins, and occasionally refuse service if you don't have specific enough change. They really put up a fuss. And forget paying with 100 peso bills ($25), which of course the ATM machines dispense. Because of this, lots of times you'll pay 20 or 30 cents more or less cause they wanna horde whatever coins they have
-PRINT NEW BILLS. The smallest bill, the 2 peso, is ridiculous. Half of them are ripped or taped together.
-When taking a cab, make sure you know how to get where your going. If the taxi driver recognizes your accent, he'll probably take a longer route or a slower road. Tell him which roads you want to take to get to your destination.
-Even though there are no coins, always make sure you have coins on you, if you plan on taking the buses (colectivos here). There are no cards for the busses.
-One thing I never mentioned in any blogs is that now I'm very accustomed to the kiss hello/kiss goodbye. (I have some feeling that may be a topic for a Seinfeld episode). Actually, its more of a cheek touch and you make the sound. Some countries, both sides, some countries, one side. I forgot what it was like in Brazil, though. In Argentina more than other countries, the greeting is between men-women, women-women, and men-men. Plus in large groups you need to say hello and good bye to everyone individually, making it a long ridiculous process to go around the group and do the kiss goodbye to 20 people (it has happened more than several times). In my hostel with the Argentinians here, it is also part of the normal good morning process, haha. So, hello's and goodbye's are really a big thing. Also, introductions are big as well, always be very forward and introduce yourself because it's a little rude otherwise. Introductions can be slightly odd, though, because most times, people don't even say their name! They just go around the group and do the kiss hello like a formality. I end up having to ask them their name later. Sheesh.
Voy para Rosario, Argentina, manana de la noche (es 4 horas por bus noroeste), hasta Jueves, y entonces norte a Santa Fe para un par de dias. Despues Corrientes, cerca de la frontera con Paraguay. Hay un parque nacional Argentino cercana de Corrientes que quiero ir a, similar a el Pantanal en Brazil. Hay un gran variedad de fauna aca. Quizas voy a a la ciudad Resistencia tambien por un dia. Y finalmente, creo que voy para Asuncion por menos que una semana, no se el duracion, y despues voy para el medio de la nada en el sur de Paraguay por algun tiempo para visitar una amiga en el Peace Corps. Entonces Brazil otro vez en Junio, quizas Bolivia en Julio, Peru en Augosto, y Ecuador y Colombia en Augosto y Septiembre.
Probably one of the Argentinian Generals or General-Presidents known for killing of indigenous people. A repeating story I've heard, but I have no clue with this statue.
One of the numerous peatonals (Pedestrian walkways) in the center:
The obelisk. I hear this is the widest street in the world. There are about 8 lanes in each direction, with about 2 or 3 more on each side divided by a small patch of grass. Thats probably close to 20 lanes:
Went to a dinner with a bunch of people from Couchsurfing at a vegetarian restaurant. It was delicious.
Went to some random birthday party after veggie food. With Maru from Buenos Aires and Marco from Germany:
Hasta Luego BsAs! Espero nos vemos otro vez algun dia!
This is Buenos Aires:
I felt like I got to know the city pretty well, to the point where I knew the names of many neighborhoods and could talk about where things were located with respect to streets. Mainly that is because it is a very easy city to get to know; like Chicago, it is fairly grid like (although Chicago must be the world's most ultimate grid), and once you know the main streets, and can read numbers, your set. Also, it was great to stay for awhile because I got to see people multiple times...Most of the time I meet someone or some people and I'm leaving in a day or two, so it was great to be able to tell people I was here for a few weeks to try to meet up again.
View from hostel balcony:
This building was too cool and ridiculously ornate not to take a picture. I have no clue what it is:
Random Observations:
-PRINT MORE COINS. It is a struggle when buying almost anything at a supermarket. The cashiers always ask you for coins, and occasionally refuse service if you don't have specific enough change. They really put up a fuss. And forget paying with 100 peso bills ($25), which of course the ATM machines dispense. Because of this, lots of times you'll pay 20 or 30 cents more or less cause they wanna horde whatever coins they have
-PRINT NEW BILLS. The smallest bill, the 2 peso, is ridiculous. Half of them are ripped or taped together.
-When taking a cab, make sure you know how to get where your going. If the taxi driver recognizes your accent, he'll probably take a longer route or a slower road. Tell him which roads you want to take to get to your destination.
-Even though there are no coins, always make sure you have coins on you, if you plan on taking the buses (colectivos here). There are no cards for the busses.
-One thing I never mentioned in any blogs is that now I'm very accustomed to the kiss hello/kiss goodbye. (I have some feeling that may be a topic for a Seinfeld episode). Actually, its more of a cheek touch and you make the sound. Some countries, both sides, some countries, one side. I forgot what it was like in Brazil, though. In Argentina more than other countries, the greeting is between men-women, women-women, and men-men. Plus in large groups you need to say hello and good bye to everyone individually, making it a long ridiculous process to go around the group and do the kiss goodbye to 20 people (it has happened more than several times). In my hostel with the Argentinians here, it is also part of the normal good morning process, haha. So, hello's and goodbye's are really a big thing. Also, introductions are big as well, always be very forward and introduce yourself because it's a little rude otherwise. Introductions can be slightly odd, though, because most times, people don't even say their name! They just go around the group and do the kiss hello like a formality. I end up having to ask them their name later. Sheesh.
Voy para Rosario, Argentina, manana de la noche (es 4 horas por bus noroeste), hasta Jueves, y entonces norte a Santa Fe para un par de dias. Despues Corrientes, cerca de la frontera con Paraguay. Hay un parque nacional Argentino cercana de Corrientes que quiero ir a, similar a el Pantanal en Brazil. Hay un gran variedad de fauna aca. Quizas voy a a la ciudad Resistencia tambien por un dia. Y finalmente, creo que voy para Asuncion por menos que una semana, no se el duracion, y despues voy para el medio de la nada en el sur de Paraguay por algun tiempo para visitar una amiga en el Peace Corps. Entonces Brazil otro vez en Junio, quizas Bolivia en Julio, Peru en Augosto, y Ecuador y Colombia en Augosto y Septiembre.
Probably one of the Argentinian Generals or General-Presidents known for killing of indigenous people. A repeating story I've heard, but I have no clue with this statue.
One of the numerous peatonals (Pedestrian walkways) in the center:
The obelisk. I hear this is the widest street in the world. There are about 8 lanes in each direction, with about 2 or 3 more on each side divided by a small patch of grass. Thats probably close to 20 lanes:
Went to a dinner with a bunch of people from Couchsurfing at a vegetarian restaurant. It was delicious.
Went to some random birthday party after veggie food. With Maru from Buenos Aires and Marco from Germany:
Hasta Luego BsAs! Espero nos vemos otro vez algun dia!
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