So the past 9 days or so have been crazy. I loved Buenos Aires, it was such a beautiful city and had a ton of stuff to do, I could never have fit everything in if I stayed there a month!
Like I mentioned before, I went to the Recoleta cemetary, where all the richest and most influential people in argentina have been buried. Saw the graves (well actually mausoleums) of Evita, past argentian presidents, writers, artists, politicians, etc. The sculptures and architecture of some of the graves were just so beautiful, sometimes it was hard to remember you were actually in a cemetary. Right across the street from there was the Museo de bellas artes (national art gallery) and I loved walking through there as well. There were a ton of famous european and north american paintings, but the most interesting part was the argentinian section, especially since a lot of the paintings were done by the people who I had just seen in the cemetary.
On other days I went to museums in the centre, the Casa Rosada (presidential palace in front of the square, made famous by Eva Peron, or should i say Madonna?), shopping in Palermo, botanical gardens, historical San Telmo (birthplace of the tango), to a tango show at Cafe Tortoni´s (the oldest tango house), artisan markets, a futbol game, ate a bunch of steak, including at one place that is basically a meat buffet, all you can eat. Just to name a few activities.
The city totally throws off your schedule though, since all the locals stay up extremely late (if you walk around the streets at night, there are families and older couples out for strolls until 1 or 2 am) and eat really late as well. No one even thinks of going out to a club until after 2 or 3, and they only fill up around 4 so basically if you go out at night, you might as well not even think about getting back home until 6 or so at the earliest. I think I was actually starting to become nocturnal, which made it harder to fit everything in that I wanted to see, but I think I did pretty well at napping at opportune moments.
And as amazing as everything was, it was even better because it seemed like all of the people I had become the closest with over the past few months were all there at the same time as I was. And since most of us knew each other, there was a big group that had pretty much seen the continent together, and this was the last hurrah before most of them head home. Really really fun people, and it just made me realize how many good friends I have made on this trip.
And so now I have escaped from Buenos Aires before becoming fully nocturnal, and taken a night bus with two of those girls, Emma and Marika, to Mendoza, which is in the central west of Argentina, famous for its steak and especially its wine. We´re planning on staying here for 4 days or so (the last ones of their trip) doing some bike tours of the wineries, lounging by the pool, etc. And then they´re off to Santiago for their flight home, and I´m not sure if I will be heading there as well for the last part of my trip, or if I am going to venture further south into Patagonia. Just depends on who is around I guess and how much money I have.
off to find lunch..........
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
post rio
At the soccer game, we (i had met a swedish guy on the bus who was also going solo and we helped each other figure out where to go, buy tickets etc. well actually i mostly helped him because his portugese was even worse than mine, if that is even possible haha) sat in the section for the flamenco fans, one of the more famous rio teams. They were just like you see on tv, chanting and screaming the whole time, crying and kicking things when we were losing, etc. Which was hilarious to watch, and infectious to be around. There was this middleaged man and his 9 year old son sitting near us and he was answering all of our stupid gringo type questions. And at the end of the game (his team lost) he was so cute and asked for consolation hugs all around, slappping each other on the back and saying maybe next time- but he gave me a team bracelet to remember the day by, which was so cute.
After swimming some more on the famous Rio beaches (also after buying the token rio bikini just to seem less gringoish- seriously, EVERYONE wears them. or even less) Copacabana and Ipanema (which had waves so strong I thought I might drown in water not even up to my knees), it was off on another bus to Florianopolis, which is on the coast but further south. Found a hostel outside of the city on the island of santa catarina, at the praia do armocao, which was absolutely gorgeous. Huge palm trees, big waves, clear water, white sand. And it was so nice that I spent the morning in the water and then on the beach. Only forgetting that of course my new sunscreen is not waterproof, unlike the old one i just had, and apparently did not reapply often enough because I got a medium all over sunburn. Which I didn't think was too awfully bad until the next morning, when i was having little fainting spells just trying to get up and brush my teeth. And let me tell you, having sunstroke I'm sure is never a treat, but having to lay on disgusting hostel bathroom floors while recovering from it is pretty bad.
But after a few minutes of that, sort of got over it and was able to enjoy sitting outside (well shaded this time) before catching a bus back to the centre and on to iguazu falls. Visited both the brazilian and then the next day, the argentinian sides, and the arg is absolutely better. They're not as tall as niagara, but so much more massive and natural, they're just beautiful. Tons of tourists though, which get on my nerves, despite the fact that I am one, hehe. There's one catwalk part that takes you right over one of the falls and it's so misty that people have plastic bags over their cameras, are wearing their bathing suits and you're dripping with water after maybe 30 seconds. Really nice on such a hot day though. Plus my hostel had a pool, which is almost unheard of usually, but very very welcome. Felt so good to be back in Argentina to begin with, just because it's so much easier being able to communicate with people again and not feel like so much of a gringo. (funnily, people even ask me here whether I'm from here. I think they're just trying to be polite, but still, sort of flattering. and weird, after being pointed out as a gringo EVERYWHERE i go for 4 months)
And then after iguazu, it was another night bus to buenos aires and it hasn't even been 24 hours here yet, but I already love it. For a girl who usually isn't a fan of cities, this place is beautiful. Very cosmopolitan, but in an old fashioned, leafy and cultural sort of way. Am off right now to explore recoleta cemetary in one of the older more posh neighbourhoods, and then maybe meeting some friends to see an argentinian futbol match this afternoon. So much to do, I maybe will have to stay here longer than the week I had anticipated!! we'll see.....
xo
After swimming some more on the famous Rio beaches (also after buying the token rio bikini just to seem less gringoish- seriously, EVERYONE wears them. or even less) Copacabana and Ipanema (which had waves so strong I thought I might drown in water not even up to my knees), it was off on another bus to Florianopolis, which is on the coast but further south. Found a hostel outside of the city on the island of santa catarina, at the praia do armocao, which was absolutely gorgeous. Huge palm trees, big waves, clear water, white sand. And it was so nice that I spent the morning in the water and then on the beach. Only forgetting that of course my new sunscreen is not waterproof, unlike the old one i just had, and apparently did not reapply often enough because I got a medium all over sunburn. Which I didn't think was too awfully bad until the next morning, when i was having little fainting spells just trying to get up and brush my teeth. And let me tell you, having sunstroke I'm sure is never a treat, but having to lay on disgusting hostel bathroom floors while recovering from it is pretty bad.
But after a few minutes of that, sort of got over it and was able to enjoy sitting outside (well shaded this time) before catching a bus back to the centre and on to iguazu falls. Visited both the brazilian and then the next day, the argentinian sides, and the arg is absolutely better. They're not as tall as niagara, but so much more massive and natural, they're just beautiful. Tons of tourists though, which get on my nerves, despite the fact that I am one, hehe. There's one catwalk part that takes you right over one of the falls and it's so misty that people have plastic bags over their cameras, are wearing their bathing suits and you're dripping with water after maybe 30 seconds. Really nice on such a hot day though. Plus my hostel had a pool, which is almost unheard of usually, but very very welcome. Felt so good to be back in Argentina to begin with, just because it's so much easier being able to communicate with people again and not feel like so much of a gringo. (funnily, people even ask me here whether I'm from here. I think they're just trying to be polite, but still, sort of flattering. and weird, after being pointed out as a gringo EVERYWHERE i go for 4 months)
And then after iguazu, it was another night bus to buenos aires and it hasn't even been 24 hours here yet, but I already love it. For a girl who usually isn't a fan of cities, this place is beautiful. Very cosmopolitan, but in an old fashioned, leafy and cultural sort of way. Am off right now to explore recoleta cemetary in one of the older more posh neighbourhoods, and then maybe meeting some friends to see an argentinian futbol match this afternoon. So much to do, I maybe will have to stay here longer than the week I had anticipated!! we'll see.....
xo
Saturday, February 16, 2008
arrived in buenos aires
ok let's try to catch up.
Carnaval was amazing, but so tiring overall. I hung out with that group of New Zealand boys pretty much every day, and they were awesome both to chill with and were great at looking out for me, making sure I didn't get trampled by the masses. Made some really good friends I think, so if anyone is up for a trip to new zealand anytime soon..... ok maybe getting a bit ahead of myself, I realize hahaha.
Anyway, probably saw more people in that week than all the peopple i have seen in the rest of my life combined hahaha. Didn't get too many pictures of salvador unfortunately, cause it's because it's beautiful, but was afraid of getting it stolen,. As it was, tons of people got pickpocketed and stuff when we were there. The last night I was in one of the blocos for fatboy slim, which was soooo much fun- totally populated by gringos, but we were loving it hahaha. Stayed there in salvador one more day after the end of carnaval just chilling and then it was off on a horrendously long bus ride to Rio de Janeiro. Along the way we stopped (about a million and a half times, hence the 30 hours instead of 25 or 26 it is supposed to be ) at some of the swankiest rest stops I have ever seen in my life. I actually walked into the bathroom of the first one and burst into rather hysterical laughter, because after coming so recently from bolivia and having most of the bathrooms on those bus journeys be either a bus or a rock (if you're lucky enough to encounter one) or else a scary shack with either a disgusting toilet or just a hole in the ground, with either no toilet paper or some that you have to pay for that is rolled by a grubby person who looks like they have never washed their hands and you don't really want to wipe your ass with their hand towel, but havve no choice...... Anyway, having this in mind, I walk into the bathroom and it is spotless, huge, has leather couches, makeup mirrors, and special little silver bowls of sand that you can use for exfoliation should you desire it. It was just so ridiculous in contrast that I was howling with laughter and barely restrained myself from taking a picture even though I really wanted to because I thought I might be arrested for being a pervert.
Anyway, got to Rio and stayed in Copacabana for a few days *although there was a mixup with my hostel reservations and I ended up having a local help me walk around looking for a free bed at like midnight. Luckily found a place, expensive though it was, right by the beach. My roommate, Belina, was from France and she and I spent a good couple days doing the touristy things, going up to the christ monument, the pao de azucar cable car, went samba dancing in lapa, etc. Really good few days. Oh and I went to a futbol game athte Maracana stadium, which was amazing to begin with and then around halftime it began to pour rain like I have never seen. After it subsided a bit and the game restarted, the atmosphere was crazy. Thgose fans are intense, but it was so much fun!!
ok,..... obviously this is far from buenos aires, but i'll have to catch up the rest later because there are people waiting for the computer. Hope you're all fine, and remember, only 5.5 weeks more to go!!!
xo
Carnaval was amazing, but so tiring overall. I hung out with that group of New Zealand boys pretty much every day, and they were awesome both to chill with and were great at looking out for me, making sure I didn't get trampled by the masses. Made some really good friends I think, so if anyone is up for a trip to new zealand anytime soon..... ok maybe getting a bit ahead of myself, I realize hahaha.
Anyway, probably saw more people in that week than all the peopple i have seen in the rest of my life combined hahaha. Didn't get too many pictures of salvador unfortunately, cause it's because it's beautiful, but was afraid of getting it stolen,. As it was, tons of people got pickpocketed and stuff when we were there. The last night I was in one of the blocos for fatboy slim, which was soooo much fun- totally populated by gringos, but we were loving it hahaha. Stayed there in salvador one more day after the end of carnaval just chilling and then it was off on a horrendously long bus ride to Rio de Janeiro. Along the way we stopped (about a million and a half times, hence the 30 hours instead of 25 or 26 it is supposed to be ) at some of the swankiest rest stops I have ever seen in my life. I actually walked into the bathroom of the first one and burst into rather hysterical laughter, because after coming so recently from bolivia and having most of the bathrooms on those bus journeys be either a bus or a rock (if you're lucky enough to encounter one) or else a scary shack with either a disgusting toilet or just a hole in the ground, with either no toilet paper or some that you have to pay for that is rolled by a grubby person who looks like they have never washed their hands and you don't really want to wipe your ass with their hand towel, but havve no choice...... Anyway, having this in mind, I walk into the bathroom and it is spotless, huge, has leather couches, makeup mirrors, and special little silver bowls of sand that you can use for exfoliation should you desire it. It was just so ridiculous in contrast that I was howling with laughter and barely restrained myself from taking a picture even though I really wanted to because I thought I might be arrested for being a pervert.
Anyway, got to Rio and stayed in Copacabana for a few days *although there was a mixup with my hostel reservations and I ended up having a local help me walk around looking for a free bed at like midnight. Luckily found a place, expensive though it was, right by the beach. My roommate, Belina, was from France and she and I spent a good couple days doing the touristy things, going up to the christ monument, the pao de azucar cable car, went samba dancing in lapa, etc. Really good few days. Oh and I went to a futbol game athte Maracana stadium, which was amazing to begin with and then around halftime it began to pour rain like I have never seen. After it subsided a bit and the game restarted, the atmosphere was crazy. Thgose fans are intense, but it was so much fun!!
ok,..... obviously this is far from buenos aires, but i'll have to catch up the rest later because there are people waiting for the computer. Hope you're all fine, and remember, only 5.5 weeks more to go!!!
xo
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Brasil!!!
So spent a relaxing last few days in Bolivia (despite having to pay 80 dollars to get my camera fixed, after the unknown incident in the potosi mines) hanging out with some really fun Australian girls and Welsh boys. One of the only downfalls were the killer toucans that lived at the hostel, and would literally attack you for no reason, or to try to pluck the food out of your hands, all the time making velocoraptor noises. One actually grabbed hold of my achilles tendon and wouldn-t let go, and Becky, I began to understand your phobia of birds- they were absolutely terrifying. I was literally backed into a corner trying to finish off my strawberry cheesecake so that they would leave me alone, and the boys were only laughing and encouraging them. We decided that they have targeted aggression for females for some reason.
Anyway, had a good few days and then a safe flight to Sao Paulo, where I had to transfer planes to arrive in Salvador a few days ago. After a very long wait for the airport shuttle bus, where this other guy Adam and I were so tired after staying awake all night that we were literally curled up in the fetal position on the concrete sidewalk on top of our backpacks, we finally made the trek into Salvador. My hostel is in the historical centre, called the Pelhourino, and there´s tons of cultural stuff going on. It´s concentrated with mostly the black population, so it has very distinct food (a lot of it sold on the street- very convenient), a ton of great music just happening spontaneously, people walking around in costumes all the time. It-s kind of like the staging area for the big parades during the day, and then in the afternoon all the blocos (groups of bands and dancers) start making their way down to Barra-Ondina, where the main stages and parades are. It is organized chaos on such a huge scale, I can´t even begin to describe it.
The first 2 nights I just stayed in Pelhourino, first with Adam and some of his friends and the second with some New Zealand guys I ran into that I had met in Huacachina. Just tons of little blocos walking around the streets and plazas all night, you can just join in behind them dancing. Sooo much fun. and i have never eaten so much street meat in my life.
And then last night a few girls from my hostel and I cabbed down to Barra to join in the festivities there. And it was CRAZY. Hundreds of thousands of people all singing and dancing and wearing ridiculous outfits, just going nuts. We sort of joined in the parade in between a bloco our friends had paid to be in (Tiesto?? he´s a pretty famous dutch dj, but the trance stuff just wasn´t really working for my idea of carnaval in brasil). So we went inbetween it and the one behind, playing more popular brasilian music, and it was amazing. Dancing like fiends, getting disgustingly sweaty, but having so much fun. The streets are kind of gross from all the people and garbage (aka don-t wear flip flops or your feet will be covered in shit. literally) but around midnight it started to rain and we were just dancing like crazy enjoying the rain cooling us down. Soooo much fun. So probably will head back down that way tonight, but I don´t really have many plans here, things just sort of happen and you go with the flow.
If anyone has facebook though, I´ve managed to upload a lot of my old photos (i prob won´t take many of carnaval for fear of getting the camera stolen, a common occurrence) so feel free to check those out and let me know what you think.
Love you all and happy groundhog day (hehehe). The temperature here is approximately 33.
xo
Anyway, had a good few days and then a safe flight to Sao Paulo, where I had to transfer planes to arrive in Salvador a few days ago. After a very long wait for the airport shuttle bus, where this other guy Adam and I were so tired after staying awake all night that we were literally curled up in the fetal position on the concrete sidewalk on top of our backpacks, we finally made the trek into Salvador. My hostel is in the historical centre, called the Pelhourino, and there´s tons of cultural stuff going on. It´s concentrated with mostly the black population, so it has very distinct food (a lot of it sold on the street- very convenient), a ton of great music just happening spontaneously, people walking around in costumes all the time. It-s kind of like the staging area for the big parades during the day, and then in the afternoon all the blocos (groups of bands and dancers) start making their way down to Barra-Ondina, where the main stages and parades are. It is organized chaos on such a huge scale, I can´t even begin to describe it.
The first 2 nights I just stayed in Pelhourino, first with Adam and some of his friends and the second with some New Zealand guys I ran into that I had met in Huacachina. Just tons of little blocos walking around the streets and plazas all night, you can just join in behind them dancing. Sooo much fun. and i have never eaten so much street meat in my life.
And then last night a few girls from my hostel and I cabbed down to Barra to join in the festivities there. And it was CRAZY. Hundreds of thousands of people all singing and dancing and wearing ridiculous outfits, just going nuts. We sort of joined in the parade in between a bloco our friends had paid to be in (Tiesto?? he´s a pretty famous dutch dj, but the trance stuff just wasn´t really working for my idea of carnaval in brasil). So we went inbetween it and the one behind, playing more popular brasilian music, and it was amazing. Dancing like fiends, getting disgustingly sweaty, but having so much fun. The streets are kind of gross from all the people and garbage (aka don-t wear flip flops or your feet will be covered in shit. literally) but around midnight it started to rain and we were just dancing like crazy enjoying the rain cooling us down. Soooo much fun. So probably will head back down that way tonight, but I don´t really have many plans here, things just sort of happen and you go with the flow.
If anyone has facebook though, I´ve managed to upload a lot of my old photos (i prob won´t take many of carnaval for fear of getting the camera stolen, a common occurrence) so feel free to check those out and let me know what you think.
Love you all and happy groundhog day (hehehe). The temperature here is approximately 33.
xo
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
