« November 2005 | Main | January 2006 »
December 31, 2005
Bring on the New Year
This morning I set out to refill our antibiotic prescription at a pharmacy as we both want to get over this bug before we head off to New Zealand. Unfortunately, the pharmacies I tried wouldn’t fill it and said I would need to head to a doctor. Hopefully, Buenos Aires will be more lax on the prescription drugs.
We spent the day exploring more of the town. We also had a tragedy with our laptop. Back in Peru the screen was partially shattered in a very bumpy bus ride through that Andes. Today, the crack that was formerly only in the top right corner and would only sometimes make the computer unusable, spread across the entire screen making the computer almost worthless. The good news it is under warranty. The bad news is that they will only cover the repairs in the U.S. We are trying to figure out what to do with Toshiba but hopefully it will be resolved as quickly as possible.
Tonight for dinner we ate on the balcony of a refurbished lighthouse that overlooked the river and Buenos Aires. It was a surprisingly good meal and at midnight, while there was no big countdown, 30 minutes of fireworks up and down the river, both professional and amateur, let everyone know that the new year had begun. Surprisingly, there didn’t seem to be as many fireworks in Buenos Aires across the river. Only later would I learn this was because they were an hour behind us and it wasn’t yet 2006.
We spent some time on the dock where we could here a Cuban band play salsa tunes from inside a nearby restaurant and then headed into town to people watch for a bit. It seemed the entire town was out either cruising the main streets in their cars or motos, while others walked around with drinks wishing everyone “Feliz Año”(...i.e. Happy New Year). From a payphone we called our family back home to let them know we had officially made it to 2006. It was a fun night.
Posted by Peter Mork at 3:02 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 30, 2005
Into Uruguay
Crossing into Uruguay was the easiest border crossing we have had yet. We didn’t even have to get off the bus. The assistant just handed us our passports as we woke up already stamped by both countries. It was a good start to the day.
We stopped in Montevideo to change buses to get to Colonia del Sacramento, the small colonial port town where we will be spending New Years Eve. In the terminal when I picked up my backpack and threw it across my back the strap ripped right off the backpack. One more sign of just how heavy my bag is and of my superhuman strength. It looks like we should be able to fix it with some duct tape so no big deal.
Three hours later we had arrived in Colonia. The small hotel we found called Posada del Armonia had just opened earlier in the month so everything was brand new. We got settled and then took some time to explore the town. We also headed straight to a parrilla restaurant so I could get some chorizo and morcilla. Although we are sick (again) with a stomach virus we are refusing to let it slow us down.
Tonight we grabbed a drink on the rooftop of a nearby restaurant where we could watch the sun set over Buenos Aires across the amazingly wide Rio de la Plata. It was quite a site and a nice end to our day.
Posted by Peter Mork at 3:01 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 29, 2005
Stop over in Porto Alegre
Shortly after we woke up on the bus we arrived in the small town where the two kids in front of us were getting off. Their grandfather was waiting for them as the bus pulled off the road and the little girl woke Em up to tell her goodbye.
Once in Porto Alegre we decided to get a hotel for the day as our bus didn’t leave until 11:15 at night. Shockingly, Em was leaning towards roughing it by storing our bags and hanging out in cafes all day to save the $20. I convinced her otherwise, and after finding a decent place, taking a hot shower and a nap she begrudingly admitted I was right. Hey, what’s new?
We had fun exploring Porto Alegre for the day. It was a lively port city with a great downtown market. We also had fun eating greasy linguisa, french fries and beer with some locals at a place near the hotel.
Before leaving the hotel, and after we paid, the guy at the front desk told us straight out about how he had it “up to here” motioning to his throat with U.S. politics, and also informed us about Area 51 being a secret 51st state and having something to do with Fidel Castro. I was in no mood to talk politics one way or the other so we backed our way out of the discussion and into a cab outside.
The bus was late and so a Spanish kid from Andalusia and I headed over to make sure that it was still coming. He was a university student studying journalism and was headed to Uruguay to meet up with some friends. When he informed me that he wanted to be a war reporter, I told him I had unfortunately just given away my copy of Dairies of Iraq, by Mario Vargas Llosa. He had already read it though and agreed it was excellent. By midnight we were on our way to Uruguay.
Posted by Peter Mork at 2:57 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 28, 2005
Todd Departs Brazil and We Head South
Todd got picked up in the morning by the same cab driver that had given us a lift to the hotel last night. We said good-bye and soon he was off. He flies home through Mexico City on the way to San Francisco so it will be a long trip for him. [Note: It was actually longer than expected. His flight was cancelled so he had to spend 12 hours in the airport waiting for an alternative flight to Chicago.]
We had a long trip in front of us as well. At noon we were out of the hotel, jumped on the metro to the bus station, and then onto our bus to Porto Alegre where we will be catching our next bus to Uruguay.
In front of us on the bus was a brother and sister, ages 11 and 12, who were traveling to a city just outside of Puerto Alegre to visit their grandparents. As they were traveling alone their father asked if we could keep in an eye on them to make sure they were alright during the trip. They’ll probably do a better job of keeping an eye on us given our basic Portuguese.
Posted by Peter Mork at 2:54 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 27, 2005
Vila Canoas and Rocinha
This morning after breakfast Em and I were picked up by our guide Christina that would be taking us to the favelas Vila Canoas and Rocinha. Vila Canoas is a relatively small community with around 2,500 residents, while Rocinha is the city’s largest with over 100,000 residents. We were told that Rocinha was once the largest favela in the world but has been surpassed by one in Caracas so is now number two. She told us that most Brazilians of the middle and upper-classes have never been inside a favela even though all the while living right along side them, and that there were positive aspects that are often ignored while the negatives are well-reported. Many of the residents of the favelas work in the city center and beach areas, in restaurants and tourist hotels.
We first headed to Vila Canoas as our guide gave us some details about the favelas, myths about the cities, and possible dangers on the trip. In essence, as we were also told yesterday by the former resident of one of the neighborhoods, the favelas are probably the safest part of the city as the drug loads that control them do not allow crime (according to our guide that is because it would 1) be bad for business as wealthy clientele from the city center would be afraid to come to the favelas to buy drugs and 2) crime would mean more police entering the favelas). The biggest danger in the favelas is the chance that police enter the area and there is the threat of getting trapped in the middle of a shootout.
When the police do enter the area, look-out boys in their young teens who work for the gangs set off fireworks to alert the neighborhood to the police presence. If we heard fireworks, we were told not too worry as it is fairly common for police to enter the outskirts. Yet, we shouldn’t stray too far off on our own in the case that we would need to leave the area quickly.
After that introduction Christina gave us more information on Vila Canoas, a community where money from the tours went to support a small school that gave supplemental classes to children from the neighborhood. Public schools where horrible in Rio she explained, and as none of these residents could afford private schooling, it was a way for them to keep up children in the private schools who they would have to compete against for admission into the public university. On a side note not only were the public schools in shambles, but so were the public hospitals.
Once we arrived we walked around the narrow alleyways Vila Conoas. Zoning laws were obviously non-existent. Almost like layers of a cake the buildings shot up, each floor clearly built at different times, sometimes 5 or 6 stories high. While meters had been installed once the electricity company was privatized, we were told the company loses heftily in the favelas. Huge bundles of illegal wires visibly made their way to various apartments powering stereos, VCRs, and boom-boxes we could see and hear as we made our way through the neighborhood.
Once back at the school we met a few of the students. It is summer vacation in Brazil so there were only about five kids. During the school year the classes have 50 students for a morning session and 50 for an evening session. The ages of students vary from 5 to 12. The boys who where there were excited to show off some of the Christmas crafts they had completed in the prior weeks.
Next, we headed to Rocinha. As we entered Christina explained that the black flags that where visible around the city were to mourn the death of a drug lord killed by the police a month ago. She also explained that the original drug gang, Comando Vermelho (Red Command), had recently been challenged by another gang, Amigo dos Amigos. In a bloody war that still continues, ADA has taken control of Rocinha.
Driving into Rocinha, what shocked me the most was how normal it seemed. We stopped at a supermarket to buy some drinks. Not only did they have all products you would expect any small corner store to have, they also took credit cards. Further up the road there was a “Bob’s Burger” a franchise fast food place. I was expecting to stand out like a sore thumb. There is no doubt we did to some extent, but it also seemed like people were so busy shopping, heading to and from the city, and just going about their everyday lives that we were hardly noticed. You could tell that this was a poorer part of Rio but this was not a “misery tour,” a term told to us yesterday.
We next stopped at a residence where we headed up to the roof to get a view of the city. Next door was an extremely nice apartment. When I enquired about it Christina said that the building was recently featured on the news, as five people in the favela had pooled their money, got a loan, and built the apartments that they now rented. She said that people ask: Why would they build it here? And why would people pay more to live here when they could get out of the favela? Renting ocean views at discount prices was the answer.
From the top of the roof we could see a huge water tank that had been donated to Rocinha by one of the drug lords. City services like running water were difficult to come by in the favelas. We could also see several satellite dishes atop the houses. Christina explained that many of these luxuries are afforded through credit payments. When I had enquired earlier about property titles she explained that, yes, people in the favelas did have property titles and theirs was an active real-estate market.
At the end of the tour we stopped off at a small market where residents were selling crafts and paintings clearly geared towards tourists. Some graffiti artists were even selling some of their work.
A little after 12:00 we were back at the hotel and shortly afterwards on a bus to Sao Paulo. We arrived in Sao Paulo around 8:00 and headed to a hotel in the “Little Tokyo” area of the city. We took advantage of the setting an went out for sushi. Tomorrow morning Todd departs back to California. We´ll be sad to see him go.
Posted by Peter Mork at 2:51 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 26, 2005
Corcovado and Relaxing at the Beach
Today we spent the morning the beach soaking up some rays right down the block from our hotel. Not only was the weather great today, but I must stress how great the set up is for beach goers. Unlike back home in San Diego, there is no need to drag down chairs and coolers, vendors are there for everything you might need. Food to umbrellas are at your fingertips. I loved it.
The tide was incredibly strong. Once in the water I realized why there were “No Swimming” signs up all over the place. Todd, whose skin is more accustomed to Northern California winters than the Rio sun, unfortunately got burnt pretty bad but he is hanging in there.
In the afternoon we left the beach to take a tour of Corcovado, famous for the huge statue of Christ that overlooks the city. The view was even more spectacular than Sugar Loaf from yesterday. It was sunny but also full of tourists out to see the city just like us..
Todd also struck up a conversation with a 23 year-old guy from Rio who was filming the trip to sell afterwards. They started to talk about graffiti in the city, which is some of the best I’ve ever seen. He said that in the favelas it was even better (Favelas are shantytowns that have been built up all over the mountainsides overlooking the city. They are controlled by drug lords and have been the subject of movies like City of God).
We have been thinking about going on a tour of a favela tomorrow before we leave so it was interesting to get his take on life there. Earlier this year he had lived in one of the city’s 700+ favelas (he pointed it out to us at one point as we drove past), but ended up moving out mainly do to the constant harassment he would receive from police when he would leave heading to work who wrongly assume that everyone is a criminal. He called the tours “safaris of misery,” but I’m actually interested in looking at them for the exact opposite reason. A book I read a few years ago, A Race to the Top, described how much better many of the residents in the favelas are living after Brazil began to open up its markets to foreign goods like electronics. I’d like to see it for myself.
Tonight, Em and I headed out for dinner alone as Todd was dead tired due to his sunburn and a stomach virus he has been unable to shake. We grabbed a taxi to a restaurant on the other side of town that got a good review in our guidebook, but when we got there it found it was out of business. The driver recommended another restaurant back towards are hotel so we headed there. It actually worked out well as we had a good talk with him on the drive back about politics, the economy, and other subjects. It is amazing how much more Portuguese I can understand now relative to a week ago.
After dinner Em and I headed back. Tomorrow will be our last day in Rio.
Posted by Peter Mork at 2:49 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 25, 2005
Merry Christmas… From Rio
This morning we had a good breakfast, exchanged our stocking (Em hung my white socks, put name tags up, and even had Christmas decorations), and called the family back home to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. We all managed to buy different gifts for each other in Salvador. Em somehow found Brazilian flag speedos that she expects us to wear. (But as of January 3rd, they have still not been worn).
Despite the fact that we are in the summer months here somehow it is raining today. As such, instead of heading to the beach we decided to take a tour of Sugar Loaf, one of the large rock peaks that overlooks the city. It has a gondola that runs up to the top for some spectacular views.
Our guide, who had actually lived in San Jose, California, picked us up in the afternoon and we headed up to the mountain after a brief tour of the downtown area. As it was Christmas there was barely anyone on the tour, just us and one other family. The views from the top of Sugar Loaf were spectacular even though it was overcast. Check the photos if you have the time.
Tonight for dinner we headed to an Italian restaurant where we feasted on pasta. When the bill came though we learned that the restaurant didn’t take Visa (I guess it’s not “Everywhere you want to be”). This meant that Todd and I had to jump in a car with one of our waiters who drove us around until we found an ATM that we were able to take cash out of. I asked Todd if when he and I met if he ever could have guessed this is how we would be spending Christmas in 2005.
It worked out fine in the end and it was an exciting little excursion (a guy on the street started to flip out when the waiter wouldn’t tip him for watch in the car, even though the car was never out of our eyesight). After that we headed back to the hotel and to get some sleep. We’re all a bit sick again so we need it.
Posted by Peter Mork at 2:46 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 24, 2005
Christmas Eve Day
After twenty seven hours on the bus we finally arrived in Rio. The drive was long but seeing the country side was spectacular. Most of it was lush green and reminded us of the terrain back in Northern California, while just an hour outside of Rio the national park we drove through had some impressive mountains.
Rio itself must be the most unique city of its size in the world. Huge neighborhoods and skyscrapers hidden between towering peaks, lakes, and the beaches instantly gave me the impression that it was the most beautiful city that we have visited on our trip.
We checked into our hotel in Ipanema and got settled before heading down to the beach for a walk. If you stick your head out our hotel window you can see people sunbathing near the crashing waves of the Atlantic. We watched a soccer game and kids enjoying jumping down sand dunes as we stretched our legs during a hour walk along the Ipanema beach.
Tonight we headed to a churrascaria for dinner a few blocks from the hotel. The place seemed to be moving at the speed of light. Every time we took a bite of food there seemed to be a waiter with steak, sausage, or chicken hears on a long stake ready to pile more meat onto your plates. They even had small cards that were green on one side and red on the other that you could flip over to let the stream of waiters passing by know if you wanted more meat. Even though Todd and I put ours red-side-up to stop the madness, we still had guys coming up to us asking if they could give us just one more sausage or slab of beef. Between the two of us we went through more than 40 chicken hearts. We were completely full by the time we finally called it quits. It was quite a Christmas Eve.
Posted by Peter Mork at 2:44 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 23, 2005
Em’s Birthday
This morning we celebrated Em’s birthday over breakfast while looking at a gorgeous view of the Atlantic from our hotel. She opened her small gifts that will be easy to carry. It was great that Todd was here to help her celebrate. (Note from Em: Thanks Todd, for the binoculars, and thanks Peter, for the hyacinth macaw earrings—you boys are great!)
Next up we headed down to an artisan market near the port where we all bought each other gifts for our Christmas stockings. It was a little tough as we only had about 35 reales to split up between the three of us but we managed just the same. It will be interesting to see if any of us got each other the same gifts on the 25th.
When we got back to the hotel the guys at the front desk wished Em a happy birthday, “Felic aniversario”. They had remembered as I told them what I was doing when I snuck out to buy her a card yesterday evening. The young Bahian guys that work at this hotel are great. We’ve had fun getting to know them and helping them with their English as they helped us with our Portuguese. It is too bad we couldn’t stay a few more days.
By 2:00 we were on our way to Rio. The trip should be 24 to 30 hours depending on the roads. It didn’t look good to start it off as major section of the road south of Salvador had been washed out and we were moving along at a snails pace. It is hard to believe that tomorrow is Christmas Eve Day.
Posted by Peter Mork at 2:40 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 22, 2005
Good Weather, Good Food
Today, after heading to the travel agency and squaring away the last few details for our trip to Rio, we headed back to the hotel, threw on our swimsuits, and grabbed a taxi to the beach.
Once there we rented a few chairs and an umbrella and then took turns going for swims in the ocean. The water was unbelievably warm and it was just the type of beach that I’ve been looking for the whole trip. It was an odd scene sitting on a beach in 95 degree weather this close to Christmas but we all adapted to it pretty easily.
After the beach we headed to Fort Barro whish was located at the end of the beach. We toured the museum that was located in the building. It had some very informative exhibits on the history of navigation and slaver in Salvador and Bahia.
Tonight, of dinner, Em got us to go to a show that featured dancing and capoera. I never been one to put too much faith in martial arts in terms of practicality, but these guys were amazing athletes and could latterly kick someone in the face faster anyone could duck or step backwards.
Not only are we off to Rio tomorrow, but it is also Em’s birthday. Like my birthday, a good portion of hers is going to be spent on a bus, but Rio should be worth the long journey.
Posted by Peter Mork at 5:52 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 21, 2005
Salvador – Brazil
We woke up at 2:30am and Ruy, the owner of the hostel, had us to the airport a little after three. By 4:30am we were in the air and on our way to Sao Paulo where we would change planes to get to Salvador.
We arrived in Salvador at 11:00am and headed to a hotel in the Santo Antonio district near the center. It is a great part of town as several old buildings that overlook the bay have been renovated into restaurants and hotels called possadas. The three of us actually ended up in the best room in the place on the top floor as it was the only one left that could fit us. The view is unbelievable.
To me the neighborhood looks like a good place to buy real-estate as directly next to a renovated building you’ll find one that is severely dilapidated. While that too adds a sort of charm to the area, it also looks like these buildings are undiscovered gems.
We walked around the center of town which has a great colonial feel to it. We had a late lunch at a good restaurant where we had fun practicing Portuguese with waitresses. Afterwards we got our bus tickets to Rio where we will arrive on Christmas Eve Day. I think Todd is a little shocked at how quickly we are traveling but he is getting used to it.
Tonight we relaxed in the hotel and watched the sunset over the bay as we enjoyed a beer. Tomorrow we need to square away a few more details for the up and coming trip and then it will be off to do some sight seeing.
Posted by Peter Mork at 5:48 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 20, 2005
Return to Cuiabá
This morning we work-up before sunrise to head out on a wildlife hike. In the end it was least fun excursion. Except for the far-off cries of parrots and howler monkeys, the wildlife was pretty much non-existent. That is of course except for the mosquitos who were constantly swarming and biting.
Em was definitely a little bummed when we got back to the lodge for breakfast without seeing a hyacinth macaw. After breakfast, still disappointed, we headed back to our room to pack up for the trip back to the city. About five minute into packing thought there was a knock at the door and Paulino asked us if we wanted to see the macaws who had were now sitting on a tree close to the ranch. We were out the door in no time.
Em ended up seeing one of them closer than expected as one flew in and landed on a tree about 10 years from the entrance. She took some good pictures but truthfully they don’t due the huge blue parrots justice.
Before long we were packed up and on our way back to Cuiabá. Before we went back to the hostel we stopped by Paulino’s home and got to meet his other daughter Sabrina who was 2 years old.
Back at the hotel we checked back in and let them know that our flight was not leaving until 4 in the morning. We checked into the same room and headed out to catch up on email and ate a huge meal at a place called Choppão. While Em checked her email one last time for the reservation requests she had sent out earlier, Todd and I watch the end of a Barcelona game with the owner of the internet café. He informed me that Ronaldinho started his career with the local professional team, of which he was sporting the jersey.
Back at the hotel we tried to get some sleep before our flight at 4:00am.
Posted by Peter Mork at 5:38 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 19, 2005
Mosquitoes, Parrots, Alligators, Piranha, and more Mosquitoes
Today we woke up and had a good breakfast before we set out on foot to a nearby river where we would be looking for wildlife and fishing for piranha. While we were getting ready to leave though, and while Em was in the shower, the owner of the hotel yelled out that two mccaws were in tree right in front of the ranch. I grabbed Em’s camera and took a few photos of them before they flew off. It was amazing to see parrots that big in the wild. I don’t think I had ever seen a picture of a H mccaw that are entirely blue except for a yellow ring around their eyes. Em had worked with the DNA of this species at the San Diego Zoo so she was extremely disappointed she missed them. The owner assured us though that they would be back tomorrow morning.
At the river Todd and I jumped in one canoe with Jose, a Brazilian cowboy how works at the ranch. Em, Gabriella, and Paulino jumped in another. We paddled upriver for a bit, passing alligators and various birds along the way. Then we came to a stop and Jose handed both of us a makeshift fishing rod made of bamboo and a bag of cut up steak. It was the first time in my life that I’ve fished with steak in my life but we quickly learned it worked. Putting the line in the river you could quickly feel piranha nibbling at the meat on the hook. The trick was getting one big enough to bite that could get it’s mouth around the hook. It didn’t take too long and Todd pulled up the first piranha 2 minutes into the trip.
For the next hour we slowly made our way down stream as mosquitoes began to swarm around us. At one point I counted over 20 on Todd’s back. At another point he extended his arm and said “Look at this” to reveal 10 mosquitoes on his forearm all sucking blood.
While he was swatting mosquitoes I got lucky and pulled up a huge piranha. While Jose pulled back its lips to show me its teeth I reached forward to lightly touch it’s sharp set of chompers. Jose jerked the fish away and gave me a look like I was crazy. “It will take off your finger” he explained in Portuguese and then continued to tell me about a friend who had lost half his finger removing a hook.
Once back on shore Jose fed one of the small piranhas to a alligator and then put the rest in a bag to eat latter. According to him they were a good eating fish. It sounded a little strange to me though. Some of the other animals that we saw were river otters, red-billed tortoises, more caimans, more hawks, a tiger heron, maguari storks.
Back at the hotel one of the workers showed me a guitar he was learning to play that had five double strings and I helped him learn a few songs in English with the normal guitar he also knew how to play. After lunch we all relaxed in the pool for a few hours and played tubarão (i.e."Shark" in Portugees) with Gabriella.
In the afternoon we all set out on horseback to explore the surrounding area. It was a great way to travel with so many of the trails and roads flooded. Shortly after leaving the ranch we met up with another Brazilian cowboy fixing one of the cattle fences. He invited us come over to the neighboring ranch where he worked. After a 45 minute ride we arrived at his home off the side of the ranch, surrounded by chickens and lazy hound dogs. . They all joked around, let us try a drink with sugar and guarana, and told us about the Pantanal as the horses got a break.
A few hours later we were back at the ranch having dinner. Before heading off to sleep we went for one more swim in the pool. That was interrupted when one of the girls that works in the kitchen came out of her room screaming that there was a “cobra” in her bed. She was obviously disturbed. One of the guys ended up killing the long thin snake and that was in the bed of the beds. After that adventure we headed off to get some sleep.
Posted by Peter Mork at 5:32 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 18, 2005
Touring the Pantanal
[Travel Tip: This trip definitely stretches a backpacker’s budget. It was also made more difficult by the limited advice our guidebook gave on the subject (i.e. “It is hard to tell the good guides from the bad, most are just out to make a quick buck…”). For what it is worth, it might be of help to others interested in touring the PantAnnal our experience. Our recommendation would be to eliminate the middleman to the largest extent possible. The first quotes we obtained from emailing different hotels and agencies directly were extremely expensive. We decided to explore our options in town and were able to secure a price that was significantly lower than what we had been previously quoted, still this was way out of our normal price range. We went with it as it was once in a lifetime chance to see some of the animals in the wild that Emily had worked with at CRES. The best advice we can give is to contact a guide directly. Our guide, Paulino, seemed honest and gave us a fairly good tour given the season. His one-man-shop agency in Cuiabá, GabriellaTur, can be reached at (65) 9957-7070. At the minimum it would be a good place to get another quote.]
This morning after running some errands around town we were met at the hostel by our guide Paulino. Before heading to the airport to pickup Todd, we picked up Paulino’s 7 year old daughter Garbriella who would be coming with us into the Pantanal.
At the airport Todd arrived safe and sound. I practiced some more Portugees by buying the tickets to Salvador. The only tickets that were left departed at 4:00am in the morning on Wednesday so it looks like Tuesday is going to be a late night.
The drive out to the lodge where we were staying was great in and of itself. First, we stopped off in a small town to get a drink and Em got a few photos of the town square and some kids. Then, a few miles past the town the road turned to dirt and we immediately began to see wildlife. We saw tons of animals on the way out, which included caimans, capybara, jabiru stork, black-collared hawk, kingfishers, emus and swarms of mosquitos. Gabriella, who was shy at first, warmed up the entire ride and soon was laughing with us.
Once we arrived at the ranch, Pousada Canto do Arancuã we were pleasantly surprised. It has only been opened for a few months so everything was new. The pool in paticular was a treat we are not used to having. The owner showed us around and we all did our best to make due with our limited Portuguese.
At 7:30 we ate dinner and were debriefed on the plans for tomorrow. Should be a fun day.
Posted by Peter Mork at 5:28 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 17, 2005
Arriving in Cuiabá
At 3:30pm (one hour time change during the ride) local time we finally rolled in to Cuiabá . It was hot and I was ready to get off the hot, humid bus whose air-conditioning had broken down halfway through the ride.
Amazingly, there was a young guy from the hostel we had made reservations with waiting with our names on a sign once we exited the bus. His name was Jamie and as he drove us to the hostel we found out that he also was a guide for the Pantanal, who had in lived in the UK for a few years. We agreed that after getting showered and heading out for a bite to eat we would meet with him at the hostel to check out our options for a guided trip into the Pantanal, an area of Brazil rich in wildlife that Em was hoping to see. Unfortunately, these types of trips are always expensive, and more so if you go through a middleman instead of directly through a guide. .Usually you get what you pay for, but like the Galapagos it sounded like we could get a big discount if we paid in cash.
Later on in the day after meeting with Jamie we worked out a plan for the next few days. According to what they have told us we will stay overnight at a fazenza (eco-lodge) and will see a good deal of wildlife.
We needed to check our email so we headed to a local internet cafe not far from the hotel. When we were leaving it was already getting dark and we had not yet eaten dinner. I asked the guy that worked at the place (speaking Spanish you can communicate amazingly well if both parties speak slowly) for restaurant nearby. He replied that there were a few down the street. I also asked if it was dangerous to which he replied somewhat. He then explained that he himself had been mugged a few weeks back and we would be more likely of a target if people knew we were tourists. Stay under the street lamps he warned.
Of course this is not what I wanted to hear, but I was glad to have the information. To get me even more skittish, I had also just got a email from my brother warning me that 4 people he knew had gotten mugged taking taxis from the airport in Rio. We headed to an Italian restaurant that was practically within view of the internet café and then after dinner we put everything valuable in my travel belt just so be safe. We walked home without any problems but we were both glad to be in the safety of the hostel once we did arrive.
Posted by Peter Mork at 5:23 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 16, 2005
The Falls from the Brazilian Side
A debate exists over which side of the river offers the better view of the falls. For the most part Argentineans have told us their side is more beautiful because you can experience the falls up close, while we have heard that people in Brazil claim their side is more breathtaking. We were eager to judge for ourselves.
We caught a bus and were one of the first groups to make it out to the national park. Although we were pressed for time (before leaving we bought tickets to leave on the 12:20 bus to Cuiabá) we still spent a good hour and a half looking at the falls from Brazil. And the winner is… Brazil (in my opinion). While there are not as many walkways, the view was higher up and I loved being able to see the calm, lake-like surface above the falls change within meters to a roaring waterfall. Brazil also has the best view of the waterfall that steals the show, La Garganta del Diablo. Yet, we might not be the best judges. The walkway on the Argentina side that takes you to the ledge of La Garganta was closed due to flooding. We´ll have to come back.
By 12:30 we were on the bus heading north into Brazil. We were in seats 31 and 32 and that is where we would be for the next 28 hours. It was not the worst bus ride we have had, but we both agreed it was in the top five of the worst. Only the lively and entertaining Brazilians on the bus with us made the ride ok.
Posted by Peter Mork at 5:21 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 15, 2005
Foz do Iguazu
Before heading into Brazil we took a few hours to see the tri border area where only the Rio Paranà separates Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil. After a hot 40 minute walk in the direct sun we made it to the site, took some photos, shared some ice-cream and soda with some young boys from the neighborhood, and then jumped in a bus to prepare for our trip across the border.
We crossed into Brazil a little after 2:00pm. Leaving Argentina, neither the immigration official nor I could find my entry stamp into the country. I was getting worried as the bus was waiting but luckily we were able to locate the almost invisible stamp (I guess the guy was running out of ink at the Chilean border). We crossed a bridge and entered what technically was the 16th country of our travels.
Luckily there was a tourist from Peru on the bus who made sure the driver dropped us off to get our entry stamps in Brazil. We didn’t realize that they normally do not stop at the Brazilian side of the border, as most of the passengers riding the bus are Brazilean nationals. This also brought to mind an article I read in the WSJ after September 11th talking about how this border crossing was one where the U.S. government thought that there might be al-Qaeda cells in the area. I’ll try to find the article online.
We found a hostel in the center of town and soon realized it is hard to know what language to speak. We started off in English but once the Brazilian reception person realized we spoke Spanish we immediately switched because it was much easier for him. But another worker at the hostel preferred a mix of English and Portuguese. Either way we seem to be getting by and the Brazilians helped us figure out the bus schedule to get to the city of Cuiabà tomorrow. The tickets will even be delivered to the hostel. That is a first.
After getting settled, we made our way to a bank to pull some reales out of an ATM a few blocks away. Em, in an act of sheer bravery, decided to get her hair cut our first day in Brazil. It looks great but it was a challenge trying to find the word for “layers” in Portuguese. Even with our Spanish there were a lot of charades going on to communicate.
Next up we grabbed some dinner, checked email, and the headed back to the hostel to get some sleep before another day of traveling.
Posted by Peter Mork at 5:20 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 14, 2005
Las Cataratas
With visas all set, we headed out to spend the day exploring the falls from the Argentinean side. It was truly stunning. In a way it almost looks as if it were designed by man, they appear almost symmetrical. I can only imagine how spectacular it must have looked to the first explorers who, cutting their way through the jungle, stumbled upon it.
We signed up to take a short boat tour of the falls. In theory, we were supposed to get closer to a part of the falls that was only accessible by a flooded trail. In reality, the purpose of the ride (and everyone else seemed to know it—even Em, who carefully tucked her camera and shoes away in a waterproof bag) was to soak everyone on the boat by repeatedly driving the boat into the falls. A guy up front with a plastic covered video camera got everything on tape and of course had it for sale. I didn’t even think about buying it as not only do we have no place to watch the video, but after the ride I realized I had nearly ruined the small notebook I keep in my pcket with addresses, vocabulary words, and notes on the trip. Luckily, it more or less survived and I only lost a few pages completely.
Following that boat ride we jumped on another boat that took us to a small island in the center of the falls. Apart from some more spectacular views, we also spotted a toucan who was hanging out in the tree canopy.
Our guide book recommended a buffet at a hotel that had been built within view of the falls. Before leaving we visited the restaurant and by the end were so full that we could barely walk back.
Once back in town we relaxed at the hotel while we depressingly (we are loyal to Nacho) watched Boca win the national soccer championship in the stadium we had just visited. It was really bizarre, after winning, we watched some Boca fans cut though the chain link fence that separated the stands from the field. The riot police were only ten yards away, but nobody stopped them. We could also see fans sitting right on top of the barbed wire fences in the stadium.
Tomorrow it will not only be another day, but another country.
Posted by Peter Mork at 5:11 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 13, 2005
Puerto Iguazu
We arrived into town at about 1:00 and found a hotel that was actually right across from the bus station. After getting settled and getting a bite to eat in town we tracked down the Brazilian embassy. It was actually was located on the same block as our hotel which also made thing quite easy.
We had all our papers in order but I was worried that something could go haywire and throw a monkey wrench in our plans. Although at times it was tough understanding the guy behind the counter as he spoke to us in Portuguese, it was relatively painless and a half hour and $100 each later we had our 90-day Brazilian tourist visas in hand.
Tonight for dinner we asked our waiter, whose mother was from Brazil, to teach us a few phrases in Portuguese to get us ready for tomorrow. It will be the first time on the trip neither of us speak the language of the country we are traveling in, but I think that it will be a fun challenge.
Posted by Peter Mork at 6:08 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 12, 2005
La Boca
This morning I dropped off my copy of Chicago and Vienna for Martin at Fundacion Atlas. Last night I read some of the essays he had given me and they are excellent. If I had the time I would translate a few of them into English.
After checking out of the hostel we headed off to La Boca to where we bought a few souvenirs and Christmas presents for the family back home. The neighborhood is an old, Italian, blue-collar, river port section of Buenos Aires. We also took some time to tour Boca’s futbol stadium, which to me has the feeling that someone just dropped it right in the middle of a neighborhood. That to me makes it one of the best in the world as tiny alley like streets separate convenience stores and apartments from this massive structure. La Boca is a team much like the Chicago Bulls or the L.A. Lakers: notorious for winning championships, and people love them for it. They are also hated for that reason (Nacho). Their rival is River Plate, a team from another neighborhood of Buenos Aires. The games at La Boca stadium are notorious for being crazy as the fans get insane.
Next up we sent several packages off that lightened our load and got the Christmas presents on their way. Then by 6:00 we were yet another bus and on our way to Puerto Iguazu on the Brazilian/Argentinean border.
Posted by Peter Mork at 6:05 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 11, 2005
San Telmo
Today we took a trip over to the antique fair in the San Telmo neighborhood so Em could buy a few gifts for Christmas and watch some tango dancing. It is an older part of town where we had had dinner with Nacho and Kilo our last trip here. Today, we got a better feel for the area in the daylight.
Em was not let down with regards to the tango. We watch an impressive performance in the main plaza, which she took several pictures of and even filmed.
Tonight we headed back to Axel’s for dinner. Tonight we ordered empanadas and ice-cream and talked more politics. It is interesting: by standards back home we would probably be considered on opposite sides of the political spectrum. Here though, while you might not guess it by the debates that ensued late into the night, we really quite close on most issues. He was a great source to learn about life in Argentina regarding many aspects of the economy from tax-collection to regulation.
They’ll be on vacation when we come back to Buenos Aires on the 2nd of January so at the end of the night we told them goodbye and promised to stay in touch.
Posted by Peter Mork at 6:00 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 10, 2005
Avenida Florida… Em Goes Shopping
Today we started the day by talking a walk from our hotel over to Avenida Florida, a pedestrian avenue in the middle of the city. Em bought some new clothing for the first time on the trip. It felt like we were getting into the holiday spirit.
Tonight we headed over to have dinner at the house of our friend Axel. He was our unofficial IT person at La Jolla Economics and helped with everything from designing a new website to random computer problems. We had a good time getting to know his wife Nora and his 10 month old daughter Zoe over parrilla that was delivered right to the door.
We left Axel´s at nearly 3:30 am, and before heading back to the hostel, we took a taxi back to the park where we had seen the tango club dance a few weeks before with Nacho and Kilo. Em needed her tango fix. Unfortunately, they had called it an early night as it was colder than usual and were packing up just as we were leaving. After a long wait we finally hailed a cab and headed back as we talked with the driver about his own travels around Argentina when he was our age.
Posted by Peter Mork at 5:56 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 9, 2005
Fundaciòn Atlas
Today we did a bit more exploring around the city and we uploaded some more photos at an internet café. We´ve found a fast connection finally!
In the afternoon I headed over to the offices of Fundacion Atlas, a free-market think tank that by coincidence was only located a few blocks away from our hotel. The head of the institute, Martin Simonetta, and I had exchanged a few emails after Dora Ampuero had introduced us to each other.
Their office was in a great location and they have a young energetic team that really seems to be accomplishing a good deal. Martin and I talked about inflation, Kirchner, the devaluation, Menem, privatization, Alvaro Vargas Llosa, and much more. It was an extremely informative few hours for me as he answered many questions that have come to me during my stay in Argentina.
We also had a good talk about Cuba. He had been to the island years ago to help dissentients so it was interesting talking about both our experiences traveling in the socialist state. Before leaving he gave me a ton of reading material that will keep me busy for a while on our bus rides. One of the books he gave me even has an essay in it by Vladimir who we stayed with in Venezuela. Another collection of essays his group helped publish was edited by Juan Carlos Hidalgo from Costa Rica, and has an essay by Enrique Ampuero from IEEP. We agreed to keep in touch and I plan on dropping by my economics book “Chicago and Vienna, the Tale of Two Schools” for him on Monday before we leave the city.
For dinner tonight we headed to Coto, a supermarket chain whose owner is in the middle of a huge storm of words with President Kirschner (more later in an essay) and picked up pasta, jamon serano, and some other tidbits that we cooked up in the kitchen in the hostel. In the Coto supermarket we saw several signs labeling the products that had been reduced in the recent negotiations with the government which had placed price controls on certain products.
With dinner we had the excellent Chilean bottle of carmerere that Miguel and Patricia gave us in Santiago. All in all it was another great meal and it was fun cooking for the first time in quite a while.
Posted by Peter Mork at 3:50 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 8, 2005
Buenos Aires Part 2
After arriving in Buenos Aires early in the morning we called around and found a hostel with a free room. It actually turned out to be a great place for us. We had a loft with a bed above a decent size room where we could spread out our stuff.
We spent the day walking around the city. It was a holiday (Argentineans use the day to decorate their Christmas tree) so instead of heading to the Florida and the city center where we were told everything would be closed, we headed up to Recoleta and then Palermo near the zoo and botanical garden. It was all-day walk and our feet were sore by the end of it but we had a good lunch and great dulce de leche ice-cream along the way. We also walked through a couple of the local parks that were curiously full of stray cats.
Once we got back to the hotel we spent some time uploading photos at a nearby internet café before we headed off to dinner at a restaurant around the corner and then called it a night.
Posted by Peter Mork at 3:48 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 7, 2005
Argentina Calls
Today we caught the bus in the morning to make the 24 hour trip back to Buenos Aires. Part of the fun we had as we left Santiago and heading towards Argentina was passing the sites where an episode of the reality show Amazing Race was filmed. Em and I started watching the show together once we decided to do an “Amazing Race” of our own, so it was fun driving over the same switch back road over the Andes we had previously seen on national television.
While there was quite a back up at the border we passed through without any problems. Afterwards a quick stop in Mendoza gave us the chance to see some vineyards which made us feel like we were back home.
Shockingly, on the bus from Mendoza to Buenos Aires the company put on Kill Bill as the movie for everyone to watch, despite the fact there were several little kids on the bus. I guess R-rated movies just don’t have the same stigma as back home.
Posted by Peter Mork at 3:46 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 6, 2005
Fish Market
This morning we set out on foot to the famous fish market in the Centro. Not only did we eat a great breakfast of steamed clams with parmesan cheese but Em got her picture taken with a few of the guys behind the counters selling huge raw fish.
Next up we took the metro to the bus station on the other end of town where we bought our bus tickets for tomorrow. After all travel plans set we headed back to the internet café to upload a few more photos.
I had hopped to meet with Libertad y Desarrollo, a prominent free-market think tank located in Santiago. We exchanged a few emails but in the end the scheduling just did not work out. They probably would have had more time if it were not the week before the big presidential election but nonetheless it was a fun time to be here for us. The campaigning was in full effect for the election. Massive campaign advertising featuring lifesize cutouts of three of the candidates Bachelet, Piñera and Lavin covered the city.
Tomorrow we are heading back into Argentina. I’m looking forward to eating chorizo and morcilla at a parrilla.
Posted by Peter Mork at 3:44 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 5, 2005
Jumbo
Patricia picked us up at about 11:00 and we started our tour of Santiago. It was really a great thing to do as we saw so many places that would have been hard for us to even know about given our limited time in the city.
Knowing my interest in economics she made a real effort to show us segments of the strong Chilean economy. Not only has Chile signed a free-trade agreement with the United States just last year, but it also just signed a free-trade agreement with China. That is something that I think would be impossible for the U.S. to accomplish in today’s political environment where both political parties like to treat China as a scapegoat for any perceived problems in the economy. What is even more amazing to me is that these agreements were signed by Lagos, a socialist. It was truly a sign that the arguments in favor of free-trade had won in Chile.
Talking to people you also get the sense that much more than the U.S., people associate free-trade with the rights of the consumer to freely buy the best product in terms of quality and price available. In the U.S. free-trade is associated with job losses. In Chile, to a larger degree, it is associated with more options for consumers. For example, we were told how prior to all this trade, clothes and shoes were incredibly expensive. Now, with less expensive clothing coming from Asia, people can afford more clothing in addition to other products or they can spend the money they save on something else that they might not have been able to afford. It is an attitude I wish was more prevalent in the United Sates.
We took a look at Jumbo, a giant supermarket that sold everything from food to clothing to office supplies and much more. It reminded me of an upscale Wal-Mart but when I asked if there was any backlash against stores like this Patricia replied that there really was not due to the fact that people can get so many good products at one place for great prices. It made sense to me. And really, the place was bustling—full of people shopping.
We also drove up into the base of the Andes which are very close to the city. It was interesting to see how quickly one can go from downtown shopping malls, to pine trees, to ski slopes. Santiago really is a unique city.
After the tour we thanked Patricia and promised to keep in touch. Next time we visit, whenever that is, they want to take us to the wine country a few hours south of the city. Of course, we would love nothing more than to show them the same hospitality in our hometowns in Northern California.
Posted by Peter Mork at 3:41 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 4, 2005
A Visit With Friends
After a morning coffee Em and I explored the weekly Sunday street fair that lines the downtown pedestrian streets. We’ve got our eyes open for Christmas gifts. It is hard to believe with all this warm weather that the holiday is right around the corner. The Christmas tree in the Plaza de Armas almost seems out of place to us.
One item for sale at one of the booths truly made my jaw drop. It was a poster made to look like a McDonald’s advertisement, a big yellow ‘M’ on a red background, but of course with a twist. In this poster the golden arches were formed by the jet streams of two planes. Where they met to complete the ‘M’ was a small replica of the Twin Towers that both planes were about to hit. The caption beneath read “Eat This!”
I’ve grown used to portraits of Che and anti-American slogans galore, but this was a new low. I just don’t comprehend the mindset of whoever created it.
We found a payphone and called Vladimir’s friends Patricia and Manuel. I talked with Manuel who was extremely nice and wanted know if we could meet up that afternoon.
We ended up doing just that and they showed us around the city before taking us out to their house where we got to talk about Chile, meet their two rotwilers, and see Manuel’s garden that could literally feed a small town.
They had left Chile six months before Pinochet took power in the early 1970s and had moved to Caracas where they ended up meeting Vladimir. As such, they had some great insights into life under Allende, things I had heard about before like the food shortages and price controls, but it was great to hear about it from two people who had actually lived through those years. We also discussed Chile’s private social security system, which was obviously a topic of interest.
They drove us back into town later on that night and we agreed to meet with Patricia tomorrow who wants to show us more of the city. They also gave us an excellent bottle of Camenere wine, as the grape was another topic of discussion earlier in the evening. They were so nice and although we just met, they were so welcoming that we already feel like we have known them for a good deal of time.
Posted by Peter Mork at 3:39 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 3, 2005
Catching up on Work
Em is really starting to feel under the weather again so we took a day off just to let her recover a bit. I caught up on some more email as well as updating the log… at least on my laptop. We’re falling farther and farther behind on uploading photos to our site and at this point I’m wondering if we will get them all up.
We spent sometime this afternoon walking around another part of the city, had a coffee, and the returned to the internet café to upload a few more photographs. The Galapagos Islands are killing us. It seems they are never ending.
At midnight we grabbed a burger at a somewhat shady place a few blocks from our hotel. It was the only thing open but surprisingly pretty good. With full stomachs we retired to our rooms a little after 1:00am.
Posted by Peter Mork at 3:37 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 2, 2005
Santiago de Chile
We got to Santiago early in the morning and before noon had found a hotel in historic part of the city near the city center. As Em showered and got ready I emailed some of the contacts Vladimir had given me in Santiago to let them know that we had arrived.
We spent the day walking around the city center and just attempted to get a feel for the area after our long trip.
Tonight we walked over to a lively area of town called Barrio Santa Lucia. We attempted to find a Spanish tapas restaurant that got a good review in our guide book, but in the end were unsuccessful. The restaurant had been replaced by a bar so we headed in to try some of the local beer.
We ended up having dinner at an Italian restaurant and had a bottle of Carmenere wine with the meal. I had read an article in the journal a few years back about the grape. They had thought it had gone extinct over 150 years ago due to a disease that had affected and eventually killed all the remaining vines in France. Then in the late 90s someone realized that the grape still existed in Chile, it just had been misclassified as a Merlot. Ironically, many of the wineries initially didn’t want to change their labels and reclassify their vintages. It appears now that it has caught on and is a varietal unique to Chile. It definitely was tasty.
Posted by Peter Mork at 3:35 PM | Comments | TrackBack
December 1, 2005
Crossing into Chile through the Andes
We drove Anna into town in the morning, said goodbye as we dropped her off at an errand, and then went to return the car. Because of the flat tire last night, I had to go with the agent to get tire repaired to make sure there was no damage to the actual wheel that I would be liable for. Luckily, it was fine and I got off paying just a few dollars to patch the tire.
During the bus ride into Chile we passed a few of the lakes that we had seen up close the day before and then we were ascended up into the Andes. It was a scenic drive and the border crossing was relatively easy, even though the Chilean and Argentinean immigration departments were separated by the Andes and a good 40km apart.
Our first impression of Chile was that it was similar to southern Argentina. There were lots of lakes and picturesque views. We made it Osorno at about 3 in the afternoon. At the bus station we bought tickets to Santiago that departed at 8:30 and then jumped in a cab to a good restaurant we had read about.
The food was great at the restaurant. During the meal we started talking to a couple from the area who asked us where we were from after we didn’t know what the word “palta” meant. It is “avocado” but we were used to the more typical “aguacate” used in Mexico and Central America. After learning a little about our trip the couple invited us to dinner at their house. We explained that we already had tickets up to Santiago, but they said if we could change them we could even spend the night at their house if we wanted to. We said we would check into it, as it really was a tempting and generous offer. In the end it was going to be difficult to get a refund for the tickets so we called them up later on in the day and let them know that unfortunately we would not be able to make the trip. We promised to send them a few postcards from our travels instead.
At 8:30 we were on yet another bus to Santiago. It is hard to believe we are in our 15th country.