From Florianopolis, Brazil it was a 30 hour bus ride to Buenos Aries. Sounds crazy but flights out of there are expensive and I am on a budget with more time than money. After 12 hours there I took a public bus nearly two hours to the airport, arriving around 23:30 for my 5:45 flight to Ushuaia. Unfortunately, however, I couldn't check my bag until 3:00. Once the opportunity arose I got in line and when I tried to check in it turned out I was at the wrong airport! Ugh! I could either spend $30 on a taxi to get to the correct one or I could change my flight for $7 and spend an extra five hours in the airport. Obviously I chose the latter.
Ushuaia, fin del mundo, what a great little place! Über touristy but what else would you expect from a place that people mainly go to because it is the end of the world? It's also the launch site for boats to Antartica and large cruise ships enter the port every day. I didn't care, I like the way the small town looked. Since I arrived much later than expected I lost a day so spent my afternoon cooking a nice meal and on the internet in the 'living room'. By the time I went to bed at midnight that night it had been almost 72 hours since I'd slept. That is unless you call sitting upright with your mouth open and head bobbing on the bus or in an airport chair sleep. But it was all good, I had been invited to join a couple others on a hike the next day.
At breakfast I was joined by a Brit and Australian and subsequently invited them to partake in the hike. In the end there were seven of us, each from a different country, ranging in age from 21 to 50-something but you'd never know it by how well we all got on. It was a brilliant day hiking to a glacial lake and up to, under and around the glacier. Covered in dirt and rocks, it wasn't the traditional image one has of a glacier but exciting nonetheless. In the evening, after some libations and snacks at the hostel, the international group-now eight-went to a pub for some tasty local draught brews.
After four days most of the group had dispersed and it was time for me to go too. But the bus from Ushuaia to Puerto Natales was very expensive and I'd heard hitch hiking was easy and very safe so I made up my sign and went to the rotunda to get a ride. Apparently there is a specific place to do this and it wasn't where I was. The locals know this and it's not uncommon for them to pick up hitchhikers and take them to the correct spot. It was already the afternoon and I should have left the day before, on Sunday, but I didn't so it took me quite a while to get a ride. This is also partly because there was a couple that was there before me so they got the first ride out. What I found most wonderful about the experience is how friendly the drivers were. About 80% made some sort of hand communication either apologizing, letting us know why they couldn't pick us up or they just waved or smiled. At the Argentina border, a guard took a liking to me and invited me out of the cold wind and drizzle to have tea and crackers in the warm guard hut. Even though he spoke no English and my Spanish is very limited, it wasn't difficult to figure out he wanted to take me out. He invited me for asada for lunch and I shot him down when I told him I am vegetarian. His co-workers got a good laugh out of it though. It was a very slow border crossing so whenever a car came I'd run out and hold up my sign. Lol! In all, it took two days and four vehicles for me to make it to Punta Arenas, Chile, a cheap bus ride from my destination.
Puerto Natales is the base for everyone that is going to hike the four-day 'W' or more strenuous eight-day 'O' trail (which includes the W) in Torres Del Paine. I attended the information meeting with a young Aussie from my hostel as we both were solos in need of a partner. He was doing the 'W' and I the 'O'. We found three others to do the W but I was still solo and so resolved to do it alone rather than just do the more popular W. We all did some last-minute shopping for essentials then grabbed dinner together. In the morning I stepped out of the hostel and it was like the scene in The Way. Up and down the street, dozens of people, alone and in groups, outfitted with their packs, walking toward the bus station. When I came to the street corner I looked at the next block over and saw more backpackers. It is a very special feeling to be part of a moment like that, alone yet together in the early light of dawn as the rest of the world sleeps.
I wasn't alone for long. When the bus arrived at the first stopping point, me, the cute Italian guy and young German girl I had met the night before walked five hours together in the sunshine and blue sky among the golden grass and rushing river toward the first campsite. Along the way we were joined by a Spanish lady and a Polish man. Now we were five. It was a great day despite the fact that I had brought way too much food and my pack was well over 20 kilograms. I'm glad it was an easy 16 kilometer hike.
It rained in the night but had stopped by morning and the Italian and I walked together as we were planning to hike 10 hours to two campsites away and the others were stopping at the next one. But my heavy pack slowed me down and he was fast so I gave him the pass to continue on without me. After six hours I arrived at the next campground and there was no way my knees and hips would let me carry on for four more hours. I collapsed on the soft bench cushions in the Refugio and the nice park rangers brought me hot tea and a sleeping bag to keep me warm. The rest of the group showed up a couple hours later but with the addition of two French and a Chilean. Now we were seven. By early evening the downpour started and it didn't stop for two days. My tent had taken on water, soaking half of my sleeping bag and in the morning we packed up our wet (and subsequently heavier) stuff and trudged 4.5 hours to the third camp. The Spanish lady had skills...not only had she captivated the attention of the cute Italian but now she managed to get us girls invited to stay in the park rangers hut! The guys joined us for dinner but then had to go sleep in their tents in the rain while we were dry and warm inside. And no, I didn't feel one iota of guilt. :-) I stayed two nights there then decided to tackle the pass. I was alone as the German had left with the guys the day before and the other two were staying on. It was a miserable three hours up the mountain in freezing rain, snow and hurricane force winds that blew me around and made the sleet feel like needles on my face. By the time I made it over I was down to one and a half trekking poles and my pack rain cover was gone but then the winds died down and the rain was lighter. The damage was done though. Where two days ago one took extra steps to avoid getting their shoes muddy, now it was trudged through; the goal was to stay upright. Even with one and a half poles to balance me, I fell, slipped and slid on my butt a half dozen times. My body was sore, scraped and bruised and my confidence was shattered. I was now glad to be alone so nobody could see me crying.
After six hours the sun came out and I was finally able to momentarily look at something besides my feet. That's when I saw my first 'real' glacier-and there was a beautiful rainbow over it! It was an inspiring sight! My spirits were lifted a little though I still had 9 km/4 hours to go to reach my destination. An hour before that point I ran into two of the people from 'prep night'. My spirits were lifted even more! I was now in the 'W'. We walked together for that last hour and I set up my tent near theirs before we made dinner. The camp 'kitchen' consisted of a sink and three rows of picnic tables where people cooked on their camp stoves and ate. After putting on my dry clothes I walked in and the sound was deafening! Every table was packed with people from all over the world chatting away, laughing, sharing stories with those they had just met as if they'd known one another for years. That's what life is like in the mountains without wifi.
My friends left early and it was their last day on the trail so I went the next six hours with an Israeli I'd met at dinner. It was a beautiful hike, not too difficult with perfect weather. My shoes were still wet though and a dry sky wasn't going to be a long term thing. It was predicted to rain again in the morning so I decided to leave if that were the case. It wasn't enjoyable anymore and I wasn't doing it just to do it. It is a beautiful place and I wanted to be able to appreciate it. The Israeli was determined to continue on, "not as a tourist but as a mission." It was perfect articulation of my feelings of exactly why I was stopping. So on day seven I walked back 7.6 km and caught the ferry to the bus. The afternoon was sunny and nice but still, I would not have been able to do another 10 hour day with my still-heavy pack and sore everything. In the end, I think the 'W' would have been enough. I'll be back though to finish it for sure!
Back at the hostel the young Australian was there. It was so unexpected and nice to see a familiar face! We Had a great time hanging out, shopping for dinner and watching a movie. It's difficult to explain how such strong bonds develop with complete strangers when traveling after just a day or two but they do. Over and over it happens and makes good byes hard. Thank goodness for fb and email though so you can stay in touch and hopefully meet again.
Timing is everything! When I got back from Torres Del Paine I had emails from two separate friends telling me they were arriving in El Calafate. It is the stop for most everyone going between TDP and El Chalten. I arrived the day before they all left but the British couple from Pucon, J&J, were coming back in a few days to pick me up. They offered to let me ride with them in their happy hippie love van through Argentina until Santiago where they return the vehicle and I fly back to the States.
Shortly after they all left I met the fascinating Spanish man in my room who had cycled there from Santiago. After chatting a bit we decided to go together to the Perito Moreno glacier. Under the advice of J&J we went in the afternoon when the crowd was less and there would be larger chunks of ice falling. At 50-55 meters high and going on further than we could see all I can say is, WOW! What an amazing experience! There were very few people there so when we heard loud cracking and saw enormous pieces of glacier shear off the face and fall into the water with a thunderous crash it was like a private experience. I'd shriek with excitement and jump up and down like the next contestant on The Price Is Right. Haha! Five hours passed much too quickly!
J&J picked me up and it was off to El Chalten for a couple days of some amazing hikes. Unfortunately it rained and rained and rained. And when it is raining in the valley it is snowing in the mountains. We had one day left and if it was raining at 9:00 the next morning we agreed to get back on the road. The Gods were smiling upon us in the morning and so was I! The sky was clear and the sun was bright! It was an easy and beautiful 10 km hike to Tres Lagos through fields and forest and over streams until the last kilometer which was uphill and in snow. Still beautiful but a bit treacherous at times as it had been compacted and was rather slippery. Going down on the way back would be much worse. At the top the view of Fitz Roy, the Glaciers and their crystal clear blue-green lakes was spectacular. The wind over 10" of snow made it cold but the sun was warm and inviting. It was sunny the next day when we left and the view of the town from the rear view mirrors were unrecognizable. We hadn't seen any of the mountains on the drive in so we made several stops on the way out to snap some pics. It was the theme with J&J and a good lesson on enjoying the journey for destination-driven me. I need to learn to slow down and enjoy the journey more, especially when in a vehicle.
We had a great time making our way up the Argentina side of Patagonia for eight days. The drive was often spectacular and sometimes flat, straight and boring. We went to Cuevas de Los Manos with hand paintings dating over 9000 years, a Welsh village where we had a proper afternoon tea, camped out among a bunch of bikers, saw loads of guanaco's and Darwin's Rhea, wild horses and birds of prey along with some foxes and armadillos. It was very unfortunate that along the way they received some very bad news from home which hastened the trip and changed the mood. So in San Martin when my Spanish bunk-mate, Daniel, invited me to hitchhike with him to Mendoza, since I had the time and really wanted to go there, I agreed.
In the morning J&J and I said good-bye. I'm terrible at these things and therefore rush through them but I really was sad to part ways with them. J&J are my age and their company was very enjoyable. They never made me feel like a third wheel and stories of their extensive travels were both exciting and informative. And knowing they were not ending their travels on a happy note added a complex layer to it. But my next adventure was waiting for me in the form of a tall, cute Spaniard with expressive blue eyes and curly brown hair. And after three days, over 1200 km and a lost pair of prescription sunglasses (mine), we made it. Four nights later in Mendoza we parted ways. It was a very sad good bye. But I met up with my French lady friend from Ushuaia and enjoyed exploring the wineries with her before I left the next day to start my three-day journey back to the USA. I wasn't sad to say good bye to her because I know we will meet up again--there were talks of SE Asia...
My flight from Santiago had a 21-hour layover in Bogota, Columbia so I got a room in a hostel and planned to check out the Gold Museum but because it was Easter weekend, everything-and I mean 98% of the city- was closed. In the evening my English bunkmate invited me to join him and his friends for dinner. Absolutely famished I said yes. We took the train to a cool part of the city, had a scary encounter with a couple prostitutes and their pimp, ate some excellent Mexican food and had a tasty craft beer. I saw and heard enough neat stuff to know I want to return and see more of this country despite the inordinate amount of very aggressive people looking for a handout in the capital. In fact, I didn't want to leave. I was really enjoying myself!
23 April 2015
17 April 2015
Carnival!! (Plus Iguazu Falls and Florianopolis)
***Video is only for sound purposes with Carnival post***
Because it took so long to get out of Pucon and I was in a rush to get my visa and get to Brazil for Carnival, I only spent two sweltering hot and sweaty days in Buenos Aries...not enough to write much about it. I didn't really take any photos because of the high theft rate. It's common knowledge among travelers that you don't take a backpack out in BA so all valuables remained locked up. But from what I saw, it's just another city. The interesting thing about it is that nothing is open before 10:00 a.m. And then everything shuts down around one or two o'clock until five or six p.m. then it's open again until 21:00. She has a reputation for being a nightlife city but I didn't get to know that side of her. However I did run into the French couple that was with me on the Colca Canyon hike in Peru!
From there it was a 17 hour bus trip to Puerto Iguazu to see the much talked about water falls. If I thought BA heat and humidity was unbearable then I'm not sure how to describe Puerto Iguazu. Sweat dripped down my back, legs, entire body, my clothing was constantly soaked and mosquitoes tried to satiate their voracious appetites through me. Despite that, my memory of it conjures up images of an easy to navigate town, beautiful flowering trees in yellow, orange and red and fruit trees! Guava, star fruit, coconut, banana plants and other native fruits and animals I never learned the names of. And a lovely river walk that ends where the three countries-Paraguay, Brazil & Argentina-meet.
People are divided on which side of the Falls is better but personally I find the Brazil side more spectacular. It is a shorter visit and was much less crowded. Both have coati, monkeys (but AR has more) and incredible iridescent blue birds flitting around but in Brazil you get an impressive panoramic view of the immense falls that put Niagra to shame. And after you've taken thirty photos you walk down the path and realize you've only just seen a portion of what is there! So you take more photos and walk down and discover even more! one gets you so close you can almost reach out and touch them. Obviously one must see both though as each has something different to offer. In AR, you walk more along the tops of the falls through one meter wide steel trails with railings. at he AR side is an all day event and when I was there it was incredibly crowded to the point that it wasn't enjoyable. I literally had to wait several minutes, eventually elbowing my way through the rude people, to get a spot along the rail to see the top of the falls and snap a few photos. And being stuck behind everyone for about one kilometer as they slowly made their way to the open area was more than I could tolerate. So I rushed through all these trails out of obligation. What I was really looking forward to was the solitary waterfall that one could swim in. It was a 4 km walk down the only dirt path in the entire park. In the park I saw a lot of cream and black colored birds but what I was keeping my eye out for was a Toucan. I desperately wanted to see one! After looking about the dense trees for hours I determined that the only way I'd actually see one is if it flew in front of me and landed in a nearby tree. Half-way down the quiet trail, that's exactly what happened! I couldn't believe my fortune! I stopped and we watched each other for several minutes and I marveled at his beauty and how his beak was the size of his body. On the way back I saw a rather large snake! Feeling refreshed after a swim in the cool pool of the small waterfall, I decided it was a good day indeed! :-)
There is a Brazilian Consulate office in Puerto Iguazu so the next day I spent the day checking to see if the two internet cafes I was told about were open so I could print the documents I needed to get my visa. To my dismay they were closed everytime I walked by. It's a small town so I didn't think there were any more. I was ready to cry...it was Monday night and Carnival was to start on Friday. I figured it would take three days to get my visa and Recife was a three day bus ride away. That was the original plan--to meet there the English man with whom I'd traveled in Peru. I'd never make it in time. So I walked around that night and although I found a different closed internet cafe I'd already given up on fulfilling that bucket list item. So I treated myself to a sit-down restaurant dinner that was mediocre at best but at least the wine was good. The single German gentleman at the table in front of me struck up a conversation with me and the next thing you know we were sharing a large bottle of wine. That turned into a couple beers at the club down the street and a couple more beers at another club--all compliments of him. Late the next morning, after spending a couple hours evaluating my options and arguing with myself, I decided to ask the consulate office how long it would take to get the visa. So I hurried over and couldn't believe my ears when he told me he could have it to me the next day if I got the paperwork to him before they closed at 2:00. I rushed to the internet cafe I'd found the night before, which was in the back of a convenience store, and spent a couple hours on the computer then rushed to the Consulate with 30 minutes to spare. He took my money and paperwork and said to return at 11:00 the next day. Woo Hoo! So I walked across the street to the bus station and bought a ticket to Rio leaving at 1:30 the next day. Only a 22 hour bus ride, I would be there a day before Carnival started, which turned out to be perfect!
In San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, I'd met four young folks from Rio and invited myself to stay with them during Carnival. The one young lady, Nathaly, agreed happily so I contacted her and got the address. An hour and a half bus ride from Rio and a short boat ride later I arrived at the lovely island where she lived with her Dad and brother and now temporarily, her mother and her two small dogs, in a two-bedroom structure. It was a great little island and we went out in her kayak, swam in the pool and her dad took us for the best pizza I'd had in South America. He was incredibly kind and generous, making us breakfast in the morning of fresh juice, papaya, melon, bread, cheese and orange cake along with tea and coffee and served Nathaly and I out on the patio. Then he went in the courtyard and gathered some green coconuts from the trees, cut them open with a knife and gave them to us to drink the water. When done he opened them all the way and the sweet meat was so tender I could scoop it out with a spoon! Absolutely spectacular! Due to the crowded conditions and distance to the city, I booked a hostel in Botafoga, a central section of Rio according to my friend. Then we met her girlfriend and went shopping for Carnival costumes. The energy was electric! Music, street vendors and stores selling colorful wigs, penis straws, costumes, bling and beer. Afterward we went to the museum to check out the Kandinsky exhibit. On the way I cried as I looked at the eight red body shapes painted on the sidewalk as we walked past the church where the Candelaria massacre occurred in 1993--when police shot at 70 homeless children sleeping in front of the church, killing eight. The disgust and distrust in the still-corrupt police is alive and well today.
I had a bunk in a 14 bed room with its own toilets and showers. There were only two other females in the room, one transgender, Well, with whom I became quite close, and nine really cute guys from Australia, Germany and Brazil. On Saturday Well and I went to Copacabana Beach and had a blast ogling the same guys. I was expecting the women to live up to their international reputation of perfect figures with round butts and was quite surprised to see that they didn't. The majority of them were seriously overweight and I was one of about three people in the entire country that wore a one piece. The beach was jam packed and anything you wanted could be bought there. People walked around with coolers of beer, trays of grilled shrimp on a stick, racks of bathing suits and countless other food and merchandise items. It was an opportunist's dream! Back at the hostel in the evening Well used his supplies and did a fabulous job on my make-up and bling. He slipped into a tiny, black sequence dress and outshone me as we headed out to the nearby bloco. Music, dancing, throngs of hot, shirtless guys and cold beer--what more could a girl ask for? It was a blast but ended early, much to my surprise. The next day two Germans joined us for the beach and back at the hostel they met a Brazilian guy who knew a lot more about Carnival so under his direction all of us, plus a Canadian, went to Lapa in the night. It doesn't matter where the blocos are, the nights end in Lapa. There, more bands, hot guys (and girls) vendors, beer and food-aka fun-are to be had. The last night of Carnival I was privileged to go with my Brazilian friends to an area in Lapa that only Brazilians go to. It was a completely different feel and totally awesome!
The weather in Rio was the same as in Buenos Aries but somehow more tolerable. Perhaps all the eye-candy helped with that. I loved waking up in the mornings to the cute Australians walking around in nothing but their boxers. Still a little buzzed from the night before we laughed and joked around and got ready to do it all over again! The hostel fed us breakfast and every morning I'd gorge on bread, cheese, cake and fruit because we were so busy drinking beer all day and night that for three days I ate no other meals. The guys would get a sausage or something at some point but for the most part we didn't eat beyond the most important meal of the day. Four days of too much fun was more than this old lady could handle. Wednesday I sat around and recuperated while the others went to see the Christ the Redeemer. Then at 23:30 I went with the two Germans and three Brits to the airport to catch the 1:30 flight to Florianopolis, Brazil. It turned into a fun adventure that ended for me around 9:00 in the morning when we all went our separate ways.
Florianopolis is a large island in the south of the country with lakes and mountains in the middle and 42 beaches ocean side. It's a popular vacation place for people from Argentina and Uruguay. Hot and humid and not being a beach person I didn't appreciate it as much as it deserved although it truly is beautiful. I wanted to go diving so I thought I'd give it a try. Unfortunately the diving was terrible for multiple reasons, low visibility being the main one. I did enjoy some good sushi where a very nice Norwegian man ended up joining me at the my table and afterward he took me to Books and Beer, a very cute place on the lake where liters of beer are served in silver ice buckets and the menu of food, wine and 150 kinds of beer is a thick book with descriptions in both Portuguese and English. In detox mode it was my first night out in a few days and I realized what I had been missing. The place comes alive at night as the temperatures drop and street performers entertain.
After five days I finally figured out what I was going to do next. Although I very much wanted explore more of Brazil and to go to the jungle I realized the middle of the summer would not be the best time for me to do that and the other parts of Brazil had been spoken about with warnings so I opted not to do that as a single female. I might have mace and a knife but the Brazilians have guns and don't hesitate to use them. Or so I've been told. That left me with finishing what I'd started but now in reverse order so I booked a flight to Ushuaia. I was very much looking forward to the cooler temperatures of Patagonia! But first I had to get there which meant a 30 hour bus ride to Buenos Aries.
Because it took so long to get out of Pucon and I was in a rush to get my visa and get to Brazil for Carnival, I only spent two sweltering hot and sweaty days in Buenos Aries...not enough to write much about it. I didn't really take any photos because of the high theft rate. It's common knowledge among travelers that you don't take a backpack out in BA so all valuables remained locked up. But from what I saw, it's just another city. The interesting thing about it is that nothing is open before 10:00 a.m. And then everything shuts down around one or two o'clock until five or six p.m. then it's open again until 21:00. She has a reputation for being a nightlife city but I didn't get to know that side of her. However I did run into the French couple that was with me on the Colca Canyon hike in Peru!
From there it was a 17 hour bus trip to Puerto Iguazu to see the much talked about water falls. If I thought BA heat and humidity was unbearable then I'm not sure how to describe Puerto Iguazu. Sweat dripped down my back, legs, entire body, my clothing was constantly soaked and mosquitoes tried to satiate their voracious appetites through me. Despite that, my memory of it conjures up images of an easy to navigate town, beautiful flowering trees in yellow, orange and red and fruit trees! Guava, star fruit, coconut, banana plants and other native fruits and animals I never learned the names of. And a lovely river walk that ends where the three countries-Paraguay, Brazil & Argentina-meet.
People are divided on which side of the Falls is better but personally I find the Brazil side more spectacular. It is a shorter visit and was much less crowded. Both have coati, monkeys (but AR has more) and incredible iridescent blue birds flitting around but in Brazil you get an impressive panoramic view of the immense falls that put Niagra to shame. And after you've taken thirty photos you walk down the path and realize you've only just seen a portion of what is there! So you take more photos and walk down and discover even more! one gets you so close you can almost reach out and touch them. Obviously one must see both though as each has something different to offer. In AR, you walk more along the tops of the falls through one meter wide steel trails with railings. at he AR side is an all day event and when I was there it was incredibly crowded to the point that it wasn't enjoyable. I literally had to wait several minutes, eventually elbowing my way through the rude people, to get a spot along the rail to see the top of the falls and snap a few photos. And being stuck behind everyone for about one kilometer as they slowly made their way to the open area was more than I could tolerate. So I rushed through all these trails out of obligation. What I was really looking forward to was the solitary waterfall that one could swim in. It was a 4 km walk down the only dirt path in the entire park. In the park I saw a lot of cream and black colored birds but what I was keeping my eye out for was a Toucan. I desperately wanted to see one! After looking about the dense trees for hours I determined that the only way I'd actually see one is if it flew in front of me and landed in a nearby tree. Half-way down the quiet trail, that's exactly what happened! I couldn't believe my fortune! I stopped and we watched each other for several minutes and I marveled at his beauty and how his beak was the size of his body. On the way back I saw a rather large snake! Feeling refreshed after a swim in the cool pool of the small waterfall, I decided it was a good day indeed! :-)
There is a Brazilian Consulate office in Puerto Iguazu so the next day I spent the day checking to see if the two internet cafes I was told about were open so I could print the documents I needed to get my visa. To my dismay they were closed everytime I walked by. It's a small town so I didn't think there were any more. I was ready to cry...it was Monday night and Carnival was to start on Friday. I figured it would take three days to get my visa and Recife was a three day bus ride away. That was the original plan--to meet there the English man with whom I'd traveled in Peru. I'd never make it in time. So I walked around that night and although I found a different closed internet cafe I'd already given up on fulfilling that bucket list item. So I treated myself to a sit-down restaurant dinner that was mediocre at best but at least the wine was good. The single German gentleman at the table in front of me struck up a conversation with me and the next thing you know we were sharing a large bottle of wine. That turned into a couple beers at the club down the street and a couple more beers at another club--all compliments of him. Late the next morning, after spending a couple hours evaluating my options and arguing with myself, I decided to ask the consulate office how long it would take to get the visa. So I hurried over and couldn't believe my ears when he told me he could have it to me the next day if I got the paperwork to him before they closed at 2:00. I rushed to the internet cafe I'd found the night before, which was in the back of a convenience store, and spent a couple hours on the computer then rushed to the Consulate with 30 minutes to spare. He took my money and paperwork and said to return at 11:00 the next day. Woo Hoo! So I walked across the street to the bus station and bought a ticket to Rio leaving at 1:30 the next day. Only a 22 hour bus ride, I would be there a day before Carnival started, which turned out to be perfect!
In San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, I'd met four young folks from Rio and invited myself to stay with them during Carnival. The one young lady, Nathaly, agreed happily so I contacted her and got the address. An hour and a half bus ride from Rio and a short boat ride later I arrived at the lovely island where she lived with her Dad and brother and now temporarily, her mother and her two small dogs, in a two-bedroom structure. It was a great little island and we went out in her kayak, swam in the pool and her dad took us for the best pizza I'd had in South America. He was incredibly kind and generous, making us breakfast in the morning of fresh juice, papaya, melon, bread, cheese and orange cake along with tea and coffee and served Nathaly and I out on the patio. Then he went in the courtyard and gathered some green coconuts from the trees, cut them open with a knife and gave them to us to drink the water. When done he opened them all the way and the sweet meat was so tender I could scoop it out with a spoon! Absolutely spectacular! Due to the crowded conditions and distance to the city, I booked a hostel in Botafoga, a central section of Rio according to my friend. Then we met her girlfriend and went shopping for Carnival costumes. The energy was electric! Music, street vendors and stores selling colorful wigs, penis straws, costumes, bling and beer. Afterward we went to the museum to check out the Kandinsky exhibit. On the way I cried as I looked at the eight red body shapes painted on the sidewalk as we walked past the church where the Candelaria massacre occurred in 1993--when police shot at 70 homeless children sleeping in front of the church, killing eight. The disgust and distrust in the still-corrupt police is alive and well today.
I had a bunk in a 14 bed room with its own toilets and showers. There were only two other females in the room, one transgender, Well, with whom I became quite close, and nine really cute guys from Australia, Germany and Brazil. On Saturday Well and I went to Copacabana Beach and had a blast ogling the same guys. I was expecting the women to live up to their international reputation of perfect figures with round butts and was quite surprised to see that they didn't. The majority of them were seriously overweight and I was one of about three people in the entire country that wore a one piece. The beach was jam packed and anything you wanted could be bought there. People walked around with coolers of beer, trays of grilled shrimp on a stick, racks of bathing suits and countless other food and merchandise items. It was an opportunist's dream! Back at the hostel in the evening Well used his supplies and did a fabulous job on my make-up and bling. He slipped into a tiny, black sequence dress and outshone me as we headed out to the nearby bloco. Music, dancing, throngs of hot, shirtless guys and cold beer--what more could a girl ask for? It was a blast but ended early, much to my surprise. The next day two Germans joined us for the beach and back at the hostel they met a Brazilian guy who knew a lot more about Carnival so under his direction all of us, plus a Canadian, went to Lapa in the night. It doesn't matter where the blocos are, the nights end in Lapa. There, more bands, hot guys (and girls) vendors, beer and food-aka fun-are to be had. The last night of Carnival I was privileged to go with my Brazilian friends to an area in Lapa that only Brazilians go to. It was a completely different feel and totally awesome!
The weather in Rio was the same as in Buenos Aries but somehow more tolerable. Perhaps all the eye-candy helped with that. I loved waking up in the mornings to the cute Australians walking around in nothing but their boxers. Still a little buzzed from the night before we laughed and joked around and got ready to do it all over again! The hostel fed us breakfast and every morning I'd gorge on bread, cheese, cake and fruit because we were so busy drinking beer all day and night that for three days I ate no other meals. The guys would get a sausage or something at some point but for the most part we didn't eat beyond the most important meal of the day. Four days of too much fun was more than this old lady could handle. Wednesday I sat around and recuperated while the others went to see the Christ the Redeemer. Then at 23:30 I went with the two Germans and three Brits to the airport to catch the 1:30 flight to Florianopolis, Brazil. It turned into a fun adventure that ended for me around 9:00 in the morning when we all went our separate ways.
Florianopolis is a large island in the south of the country with lakes and mountains in the middle and 42 beaches ocean side. It's a popular vacation place for people from Argentina and Uruguay. Hot and humid and not being a beach person I didn't appreciate it as much as it deserved although it truly is beautiful. I wanted to go diving so I thought I'd give it a try. Unfortunately the diving was terrible for multiple reasons, low visibility being the main one. I did enjoy some good sushi where a very nice Norwegian man ended up joining me at the my table and afterward he took me to Books and Beer, a very cute place on the lake where liters of beer are served in silver ice buckets and the menu of food, wine and 150 kinds of beer is a thick book with descriptions in both Portuguese and English. In detox mode it was my first night out in a few days and I realized what I had been missing. The place comes alive at night as the temperatures drop and street performers entertain.
After five days I finally figured out what I was going to do next. Although I very much wanted explore more of Brazil and to go to the jungle I realized the middle of the summer would not be the best time for me to do that and the other parts of Brazil had been spoken about with warnings so I opted not to do that as a single female. I might have mace and a knife but the Brazilians have guns and don't hesitate to use them. Or so I've been told. That left me with finishing what I'd started but now in reverse order so I booked a flight to Ushuaia. I was very much looking forward to the cooler temperatures of Patagonia! But first I had to get there which meant a 30 hour bus ride to Buenos Aries.
11 April 2015
Pucon
The guide book describes Pucon, Chile as the "Mecca for adventure sports" and they aren't kidding. With so many fun things to do--from horseback riding, hot springs, hikes with amazing vistas and waterfalls to canyoning, kayaking, parasailing, hydroboarding and climbing an active volcano--it's hard to choose what to do when you are on a budget. Pretty much everyone comes here for the last mentioned activity though and even skeptics come back loving it. So I based myself in a hostel right on Lake Villarica. It certainly wasn't the cheapest at $20/night but it turned out to have awesome guests and staff including a young couple I'd met in Valparaiso and another British couple that would later play an important part in my travels.
Climbing an active volcano was definitely one of my bucket list items and with Chile being the most seismically active country in the world, Volcan Villarica did not disappoint. After taking the chairlift up to avoid the walk up the ash and volcanic rock section-described to me by my bunkmate as "walking up the down escalator for over an hour"- we strapped on our crampons and started our ascent, ice axe in hand. A relatively easy hike, we stopped too many times for my taste but it didn't matter, we couldn't go any faster than the long queue of people in front of us. The blue sky, warm sun and low winds provided perfect hiking and viewing conditions, enabling us to see all the way to Argentina. And although we didn't see lava we could see very far down the crater and the red, iron rich rock, yellow-green sulphur deposits and striated white snow made a feast for the eyes. However the most fun part of the whole trip was sliding 800 meters down the snow!! I wish they had a chair lift all the way to the top so I could do that part over and over again! Without a doubt the volcano is the best activity I've ever done in my life! Canyoning is great fun too. We don't have it in the States but basically we donned wetsuits and booties and walked a couple miles through the river, sliding down large rocks, jumping off waterfalls and boulders, even zip lined using the water to stop us. It is a super fun way to enjoy a beautiful tree-lined river.
The waterfall at Salto El Claro is spectacular too and well worth the 1.5 hour, 10k up-hill walk on a dry, dusty road. However it was my good fortune that, five minutes in, a local in a pickup truck stopped to give us a ride about 85% of the way to the falls. The Swedish girl I was going with spoke Spanish so once again I was off the hook for the awkwardness of not being able to make small talk. We couldn't find the proper trail but we managed to make our way down to the river anyhow and walked upstream a bit until we got to the pool and waterfall. It is the first time I've been able to sit and relax and enjoy a waterfall. I was mesmerized by the motion and solitude for an hour. Usually I'm on a guided hike or there are throngs of other people around that disturb the experience so I have to move on. But it was just us and a young Chilean couple there. And about half way down on the return walk they stopped and gave us a ride all the way back to Pucon. It was a lucky day for sure! I also enjoyed the experience of the small black sand beach on Lake Villarica. Jam-packed with colorful umbrellas, there was a DJ playing music, a skateboard ramp set up, massage tables and more. Beaches in SA are like none I've ever experienced before.
One of my favorite things about traveling like this is all the awesome people I meet. And it is so much fun when we meet up again in another city/town/trek. From my first day to my last I was never alone in Chile. I met people in one town and we'd meet up again in another city. Their company made the journey much more enjoyable as we created shared experiences and broke bread together. And in meeting fellow backpackers during travel, as you talk about where you've been, what you've done, share interesting stories you are also getting loads of travel tips for your next destination. And they are eager to help if you aren't sure about something. As much fun as it is, traveling is also a lot of work planning, organizing and organizing transportation and accommodation arrangements, made infuriatingly difficult with sketchy wifi or when all the web pages come up in Spanish, so we are happy to do anything to make it easier on one another.
Ten days after my arrival (I wanted to leave sooner but it was five days before there was availability on a bus to Argentina) I left Pucon for a 24 hour bus ride to Buenos Aries and was grateful to have the company of my young Israeli bunkmate. He'd been to BA before, and spoke some Spanish, so it was good when we arrived and he was able to navigate us through the subway and downtown so I could change money on the black market and get to a hostel. When he left for the airport in the wee hours the next day I was truly alone for the first time since arriving in Chile three and a half weeks earlier and it felt very strange. I was very much enjoying having familiar faces around. So we shall see what Argentina will bring...
**UPDATE: Shortly after I left the volcano became more active and on March 3rd it erupted. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-31960851
Climbing an active volcano was definitely one of my bucket list items and with Chile being the most seismically active country in the world, Volcan Villarica did not disappoint. After taking the chairlift up to avoid the walk up the ash and volcanic rock section-described to me by my bunkmate as "walking up the down escalator for over an hour"- we strapped on our crampons and started our ascent, ice axe in hand. A relatively easy hike, we stopped too many times for my taste but it didn't matter, we couldn't go any faster than the long queue of people in front of us. The blue sky, warm sun and low winds provided perfect hiking and viewing conditions, enabling us to see all the way to Argentina. And although we didn't see lava we could see very far down the crater and the red, iron rich rock, yellow-green sulphur deposits and striated white snow made a feast for the eyes. However the most fun part of the whole trip was sliding 800 meters down the snow!! I wish they had a chair lift all the way to the top so I could do that part over and over again! Without a doubt the volcano is the best activity I've ever done in my life! Canyoning is great fun too. We don't have it in the States but basically we donned wetsuits and booties and walked a couple miles through the river, sliding down large rocks, jumping off waterfalls and boulders, even zip lined using the water to stop us. It is a super fun way to enjoy a beautiful tree-lined river.
The waterfall at Salto El Claro is spectacular too and well worth the 1.5 hour, 10k up-hill walk on a dry, dusty road. However it was my good fortune that, five minutes in, a local in a pickup truck stopped to give us a ride about 85% of the way to the falls. The Swedish girl I was going with spoke Spanish so once again I was off the hook for the awkwardness of not being able to make small talk. We couldn't find the proper trail but we managed to make our way down to the river anyhow and walked upstream a bit until we got to the pool and waterfall. It is the first time I've been able to sit and relax and enjoy a waterfall. I was mesmerized by the motion and solitude for an hour. Usually I'm on a guided hike or there are throngs of other people around that disturb the experience so I have to move on. But it was just us and a young Chilean couple there. And about half way down on the return walk they stopped and gave us a ride all the way back to Pucon. It was a lucky day for sure! I also enjoyed the experience of the small black sand beach on Lake Villarica. Jam-packed with colorful umbrellas, there was a DJ playing music, a skateboard ramp set up, massage tables and more. Beaches in SA are like none I've ever experienced before.
One of my favorite things about traveling like this is all the awesome people I meet. And it is so much fun when we meet up again in another city/town/trek. From my first day to my last I was never alone in Chile. I met people in one town and we'd meet up again in another city. Their company made the journey much more enjoyable as we created shared experiences and broke bread together. And in meeting fellow backpackers during travel, as you talk about where you've been, what you've done, share interesting stories you are also getting loads of travel tips for your next destination. And they are eager to help if you aren't sure about something. As much fun as it is, traveling is also a lot of work planning, organizing and organizing transportation and accommodation arrangements, made infuriatingly difficult with sketchy wifi or when all the web pages come up in Spanish, so we are happy to do anything to make it easier on one another.
Ten days after my arrival (I wanted to leave sooner but it was five days before there was availability on a bus to Argentina) I left Pucon for a 24 hour bus ride to Buenos Aries and was grateful to have the company of my young Israeli bunkmate. He'd been to BA before, and spoke some Spanish, so it was good when we arrived and he was able to navigate us through the subway and downtown so I could change money on the black market and get to a hostel. When he left for the airport in the wee hours the next day I was truly alone for the first time since arriving in Chile three and a half weeks earlier and it felt very strange. I was very much enjoying having familiar faces around. So we shall see what Argentina will bring...
**UPDATE: Shortly after I left the volcano became more active and on March 3rd it erupted. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-31960851
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Me on The Way. Thanks Heather! :-)
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Bear enjoying a secluded off-leash hike