Thursday, Mar 13 – Day 87
John and I are going to do “the circuit”, which is 130 km, or about 80 miles, and we expect that it will take us 8 days. Most days will require 5 to 6 hours of hiking, though we will have at least one 6 to 8 hour day and one 10-hour day. We will be completely self-sufficient, though we expect to use some of the refugios along the way. These are basic structures where you can get a bed and/or a meal, which will make things a little easier, but we have no reservations. It’s a little past the peak tourist season, so we may be able to get into one or two, maybe not.
We’ll buy our provisions today, pick up our rental gear, and pack everything up tonight. We leave at 7:20 am from our hostel, and it will take another 3 hours to get to the park. After that, we’re essentially on our own, except that there will be other trekkers on the trails and in the campgrounds. So obviously, I’m done posting until I get back. The opportunity to do this hike is one of the primary reasons I came to South America, and I hope that I have some great pictures and stories to share when I get back.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
The Bus to Puerto Natales, Chile
Wednesday, Mar 12 – Day 86
Puerto Natales is a city of about 5,000 people, it’s in Chile, about 80 km (50 miles) south of El Calafate, and is the only civilization near Torres. To get there, you start by driving an hour and a half to the east. That’s where you find the first road south, which is really not much more than a gravel trail. After about an hour of scaring wild emus off the trail, you find pavement again. Check out of Argentina; get through customs in Chile, and after 5 1/2 hours all-in, you’re there. I saw fewer than 10 other vehicles on the road (7 actually – I was counting them).
Puerto Natales is in the Provincia de Ultima Esperanza, which means “Province of Last Hope” in Spanish. After what it took to get here, I can see why. Again, this place is just so vast and empty, it’s almost scary. It’s incredibly beautiful, but you can also tell that if you make a mistake out here, Mother Nature will absolutely kick your ass. This is the gateway to Torres, and we found an American that lives here and does a “3:00 Rock Talk” every day at a local hostel. He gave us a lot of great advice on how to do get to the park, how to do the two basic trails, how to pack, provision, and use the campgrounds. This made us re-think our plan a bit, and we need to get a few more things in order, so we’re going to start out on Friday, a day later than expected.
The money in Argentina and Brazil was pretty easy to grasp; exchange rates of 3.2:1 or 1.7:1 don’t take a lot of thought. Taking $200,000 Chilean pesos out of the ATM, however, feels a little different. I’m walking around now with a bunch of $10,000 pesos notes in my pocket. My dinner of swordfish, rice, a cheese tart, and a couple of nice glasses of sauvignon blanc (all of which were excellent) cost me about $7,000 pesos. Turns out to be about US$16.00. The long-johns I bought, however cost $26,000 pesos. I believe that they will be well worth the price.
Puerto Natales is a city of about 5,000 people, it’s in Chile, about 80 km (50 miles) south of El Calafate, and is the only civilization near Torres. To get there, you start by driving an hour and a half to the east. That’s where you find the first road south, which is really not much more than a gravel trail. After about an hour of scaring wild emus off the trail, you find pavement again. Check out of Argentina; get through customs in Chile, and after 5 1/2 hours all-in, you’re there. I saw fewer than 10 other vehicles on the road (7 actually – I was counting them).
Puerto Natales is in the Provincia de Ultima Esperanza, which means “Province of Last Hope” in Spanish. After what it took to get here, I can see why. Again, this place is just so vast and empty, it’s almost scary. It’s incredibly beautiful, but you can also tell that if you make a mistake out here, Mother Nature will absolutely kick your ass. This is the gateway to Torres, and we found an American that lives here and does a “3:00 Rock Talk” every day at a local hostel. He gave us a lot of great advice on how to do get to the park, how to do the two basic trails, how to pack, provision, and use the campgrounds. This made us re-think our plan a bit, and we need to get a few more things in order, so we’re going to start out on Friday, a day later than expected.
The money in Argentina and Brazil was pretty easy to grasp; exchange rates of 3.2:1 or 1.7:1 don’t take a lot of thought. Taking $200,000 Chilean pesos out of the ATM, however, feels a little different. I’m walking around now with a bunch of $10,000 pesos notes in my pocket. My dinner of swordfish, rice, a cheese tart, and a couple of nice glasses of sauvignon blanc (all of which were excellent) cost me about $7,000 pesos. Turns out to be about US$16.00. The long-johns I bought, however cost $26,000 pesos. I believe that they will be well worth the price.
Recover and Discover
Tuesday, Mar 11 – Day 85
It’s really hard to find out information about Torres del Paine here in Calafate. For one, it’s a cross the border in Chile and the Argentines probably aren’t that interested promoting a way for the tourist dollars move further south. Second, there is still a border dispute about which country owns some of the 100’s and 100’s of uninhabited islands out here, and third, it’s just really hard to physically get to Torres del Paine from here. Anyway, I couldn’t find a single book about Torres and none of the typical tourist service providers knew much about the park at all.
About all we found out was that you can get to Torres del Paine from El Calafate if you hire a private car. But you can’t bring any meat, cheese, fruits, or vegetables across the border into Chile, and once you do cross, there’s no place to buy provisions for an 8-day hike in the wild. I like to watch that TV show “Survivor Man”, but I really don’t care to live it. Looks like we’re going to have to go to Puerto Natales, Chile first.
The more I learn about the weather, the more I think that I’m still under-prepared for this excursion, so I bought pair of new Gore-Tex lined hiking boots, and tossed the 10-year old boots I bought in Costa Rica into a trash can outside the bus station.
It’s really hard to find out information about Torres del Paine here in Calafate. For one, it’s a cross the border in Chile and the Argentines probably aren’t that interested promoting a way for the tourist dollars move further south. Second, there is still a border dispute about which country owns some of the 100’s and 100’s of uninhabited islands out here, and third, it’s just really hard to physically get to Torres del Paine from here. Anyway, I couldn’t find a single book about Torres and none of the typical tourist service providers knew much about the park at all.
About all we found out was that you can get to Torres del Paine from El Calafate if you hire a private car. But you can’t bring any meat, cheese, fruits, or vegetables across the border into Chile, and once you do cross, there’s no place to buy provisions for an 8-day hike in the wild. I like to watch that TV show “Survivor Man”, but I really don’t care to live it. Looks like we’re going to have to go to Puerto Natales, Chile first.
The more I learn about the weather, the more I think that I’m still under-prepared for this excursion, so I bought pair of new Gore-Tex lined hiking boots, and tossed the 10-year old boots I bought in Costa Rica into a trash can outside the bus station.
Perito Moreno Glacier
Monday, Mar 10 – Day 84
We caught the 8:30 bus to Perito Moreno, which is 35 miles away but takes an hour and a half to reach. The road follows along the shore of Lago Argentina, the largest lake in the entire country. It covers some 1,500 square kilometers, and was formed about 15,000 years ago. It has an average depth of 450 feet, and a maximum depth of 1,500 feet! The color of the water is an eerie milky-blue. Not crystal clear, as I thought it would be. The cloudiness comes from the minerals and sediment that the glacier gathers on its way down the mountain side. The ice melts and the sediment is suspended in the water. It’s thin enough to disburse the sunlight, but not thick enough to change the color of the water. The really odd part is that, outside of the city of El Calafate, it looks like there is not a single person living on it.
The Patagonian ice field is second in size only to Antarctica. It is just stunning in its size and emptiness. Perito Moreno is the only glacier in the world that is still actually growing. The ice field stretches some 50 miles up the valley and is about 2 miles wide where it falls into the lake. The portion of the glacier that you actually see tops out at about 165 feet above the water-line. Below the waterline is another 400 feet of ice. Every 5 or 10 minutes, you hear what sounds just like thunder as large chunks of ice calve off into the lake. One of the largest pieces we saw fall had to be about the size of a 10-story building. Look at it in comparison to the boat and the people. It was absolutely amazing.
We caught the 8:30 bus to Perito Moreno, which is 35 miles away but takes an hour and a half to reach. The road follows along the shore of Lago Argentina, the largest lake in the entire country. It covers some 1,500 square kilometers, and was formed about 15,000 years ago. It has an average depth of 450 feet, and a maximum depth of 1,500 feet! The color of the water is an eerie milky-blue. Not crystal clear, as I thought it would be. The cloudiness comes from the minerals and sediment that the glacier gathers on its way down the mountain side. The ice melts and the sediment is suspended in the water. It’s thin enough to disburse the sunlight, but not thick enough to change the color of the water. The really odd part is that, outside of the city of El Calafate, it looks like there is not a single person living on it.
The Patagonian ice field is second in size only to Antarctica. It is just stunning in its size and emptiness. Perito Moreno is the only glacier in the world that is still actually growing. The ice field stretches some 50 miles up the valley and is about 2 miles wide where it falls into the lake. The portion of the glacier that you actually see tops out at about 165 feet above the water-line. Below the waterline is another 400 feet of ice. Every 5 or 10 minutes, you hear what sounds just like thunder as large chunks of ice calve off into the lake. One of the largest pieces we saw fall had to be about the size of a 10-story building. Look at it in comparison to the boat and the people. It was absolutely amazing.
Flying Down to El Calafate
Sunday, Mar 9 – Day 83
San Diego John is joining me for the Patagonia trip. He was in my Spanish class for the last two weeks I was in BA. A former IT guy for Pfizer, he’s decided to see if he can turn that into a career down here. We have a one-hopper that stops in Bariloche, which is the heart of the Argentine “lake district”. I’ll be stopping here on my way back north, but right now, we fly due south along the Andes, which are absolutely stunning.
El Calafate is a town of about 15,000 people, and it sits at about 52 degrees south latitude, deep into what is known as the Patagonia. We’re about even with the Falkland Islands, and its Northern Hemisphere equivalent would be a few hundred miles north of the Canadian border.
The only reason this town exists is because it is the starting point for seeing the Perito Moreno glacier, and Fitz Roy. So, it’s set up for tourists, and there are some very nice restaurants. I had a great dinner this evening - filet mignon, mixed veggies, wine, flan, espresso – for a total of about US$35.00. I like Argentina.
San Diego John is joining me for the Patagonia trip. He was in my Spanish class for the last two weeks I was in BA. A former IT guy for Pfizer, he’s decided to see if he can turn that into a career down here. We have a one-hopper that stops in Bariloche, which is the heart of the Argentine “lake district”. I’ll be stopping here on my way back north, but right now, we fly due south along the Andes, which are absolutely stunning.
El Calafate is a town of about 15,000 people, and it sits at about 52 degrees south latitude, deep into what is known as the Patagonia. We’re about even with the Falkland Islands, and its Northern Hemisphere equivalent would be a few hundred miles north of the Canadian border.
The only reason this town exists is because it is the starting point for seeing the Perito Moreno glacier, and Fitz Roy. So, it’s set up for tourists, and there are some very nice restaurants. I had a great dinner this evening - filet mignon, mixed veggies, wine, flan, espresso – for a total of about US$35.00. I like Argentina.
Making Someone Smile
Saturday, Mar 8 – Day 82
Patagonia is known as a beautiful but rugged place, so I need some outdoor gear. Since I plan on living in the wilderness for 8 to 10 days, I may need a lot of gear. You can imagine the smile on Flavio’s face (my sales guy) when I, the Gringo with the credit card, tell him that I’m going to do “the circuit” at Torres del Paine, but don’t have any equipment.
About an hour and a half and $2,000 pesos later, we are both happy.
Patagonia is known as a beautiful but rugged place, so I need some outdoor gear. Since I plan on living in the wilderness for 8 to 10 days, I may need a lot of gear. You can imagine the smile on Flavio’s face (my sales guy) when I, the Gringo with the credit card, tell him that I’m going to do “the circuit” at Torres del Paine, but don’t have any equipment.
About an hour and a half and $2,000 pesos later, we are both happy.
Friday, Mar 7 – Day 81
I bummed a copier paper box off an office supply store next to my hotel, walked a few blocks to find another store to buy the packing tape (they don’t give you anything at Centro Postal), then took a cab downtown. After the customs lady looked through my stuff, I was given a number and told to wait. It only took an hour to service the 13 customers in front of me, but this was only my first pass. It took that long just to get the forms that I had to fill out. After handling that, and then going through the mummification process, I was back in line to pay my tab - $180.00 pesos, or about US$60.00 for 7 kilos. It only took an hour and a half to complete this task today, and they guarantee delivery within 45 days.
I’m staying in Palermo, which is kind of the hip, urban part of town. It looks older, and is not as nice as Recoleta, or Puerto Madero, but it has a ton of character. There are some high-rise buildings, but most of it is only 3 or 4 floors. Every corner has a small bistro, bar, or boutique, and there are lots of trees and little “pocket parks”. Next time I come back to stay for a while, this is where I’m going to stay. Actually, I’m only a few blocks from the 10:00 “happy hour” location that I wrote about earlier.
I bummed a copier paper box off an office supply store next to my hotel, walked a few blocks to find another store to buy the packing tape (they don’t give you anything at Centro Postal), then took a cab downtown. After the customs lady looked through my stuff, I was given a number and told to wait. It only took an hour to service the 13 customers in front of me, but this was only my first pass. It took that long just to get the forms that I had to fill out. After handling that, and then going through the mummification process, I was back in line to pay my tab - $180.00 pesos, or about US$60.00 for 7 kilos. It only took an hour and a half to complete this task today, and they guarantee delivery within 45 days.
I’m staying in Palermo, which is kind of the hip, urban part of town. It looks older, and is not as nice as Recoleta, or Puerto Madero, but it has a ton of character. There are some high-rise buildings, but most of it is only 3 or 4 floors. Every corner has a small bistro, bar, or boutique, and there are lots of trees and little “pocket parks”. Next time I come back to stay for a while, this is where I’m going to stay. Actually, I’m only a few blocks from the 10:00 “happy hour” location that I wrote about earlier.
Thursday, Mar 6 – Day 80
I now realize that I have made a mistake in bringing some stuff with me that I really can’t just throw away. At the last minute, I decided to bring some decent clothes for the Tango experience, but these duds are just going to be extra weight in my backpack on the 80-mile hike around Torres del Paine. Replacing them will cost me ten times the amount of postage required to send them home, so the practical person in me says that I should make the effort.
I saw a UPS location here in BA, and thought that would have to be the easiest way to handle it. Wrong. For a 5 kilo package, it will cost $187.00 pesos, plus an 18% fuel surcharge. On top of that, I have to itemize every single item in the box, give it a value, and pay another tax of 20% of the value that I state. If I state that the items are personal effects with little value, I can only send it to myself, and the box sits in customs in the US (accruing a daily storage fee) until I come pick it up.
So I go to Centro Postal International, to try and figure it out. Every package leaving the country has to be sent from Centro Postal – you can’t send an international package from any other post office in BA. You have to arrive with your stuff un-sealed so that a lady from customs can look through it all. Then, you mummify the box with packing tape, covering all six sides of the box completely. They seem to be particular about their boxes, so I tried to buy one, but at Centro Postal, they were out of anything larger than the 2 kilo boxes. They said that I could buy bigger boxes at other post office locations, but neither of the two branches I went to carried bigger boxes because they don’t handle those packages, and they know you have to go downtown anyway.
I now realize that I have made a mistake in bringing some stuff with me that I really can’t just throw away. At the last minute, I decided to bring some decent clothes for the Tango experience, but these duds are just going to be extra weight in my backpack on the 80-mile hike around Torres del Paine. Replacing them will cost me ten times the amount of postage required to send them home, so the practical person in me says that I should make the effort.
I saw a UPS location here in BA, and thought that would have to be the easiest way to handle it. Wrong. For a 5 kilo package, it will cost $187.00 pesos, plus an 18% fuel surcharge. On top of that, I have to itemize every single item in the box, give it a value, and pay another tax of 20% of the value that I state. If I state that the items are personal effects with little value, I can only send it to myself, and the box sits in customs in the US (accruing a daily storage fee) until I come pick it up.
So I go to Centro Postal International, to try and figure it out. Every package leaving the country has to be sent from Centro Postal – you can’t send an international package from any other post office in BA. You have to arrive with your stuff un-sealed so that a lady from customs can look through it all. Then, you mummify the box with packing tape, covering all six sides of the box completely. They seem to be particular about their boxes, so I tried to buy one, but at Centro Postal, they were out of anything larger than the 2 kilo boxes. They said that I could buy bigger boxes at other post office locations, but neither of the two branches I went to carried bigger boxes because they don’t handle those packages, and they know you have to go downtown anyway.
Lightening the Loan, and Back to BA
Wednesday, Mar 5 – Day 79
We kind of got carried away with dinner last night, so I had to do all my packing this morning. I was determined to start dumping stuff, so I left a pair of jeans that I never liked, three rather plain t-shirts, a pair of sweat pants I’d never worn, and a golf shirt that I never really cared for. It’s a small start, and it felt pretty good, but there’s a lot more work to be done here.
We get to the airport, and the check-in lady advised me that our flight has changed gates. Instead of Gate 1, we’ll be leaving from Gate 2. Well, there are only two gates at the entire airport. Furthermore, the gates are so small, they check your passport and do the X-ray and metal detector right as you go into the boarding area for your flight. And these are not NTS knuckle-heads manning the stations, these are fit, military-looking guys dressed all in black with guns strapped to their thighs.
The lady, in front of me had a problem because she forgot to take a Swiss-Army knife out of her carry-on bag and put it into checked baggage. They catch it in the X-ray machine, and are confiscating it. As she is holding up the line I look back at my buddy John, only to see him being taken away by another of the armed security guards.
I think to myself, well, I guess I really don’t know the guy all that well, and maybe he’s got an outstanding international warrant or two. Turns out, he had bought a camera in BA right before coming up here and had it in the original box. It cost about 3x what a similar camera would cost in the US because the Argentines tax the crap out of everything electronic. A lot of people come up here and cross into Paraguay to buy electronic stuff because it’s so much cheaper. The Policia wanted to have a little chat with John about where he bought it, thinking that he may owe them a little “tribute”.
Turns out our flight was delayed by a little more than an hour. The strange part was that not a single announcement was ever made about the delay. And about 30 minutes after the in-bound flight finally arrived, people just got up and boarded for the departure, again, without any announcement or order.
Arriving in BA this afternoon was really cool. After being gone a month, it just felt very comfortable, almost like I was coming home. Flying in, I know all the landmarks and the neighborhoods. I give the cabbie directions on where I wanted to go, and asked him some questions to follow up on some of the stuff that was going on when I left. I made some calls to local friends, and picked out a couple of restaurants that I knew (and missed) for upcoming dinners. Like I said, it kind of felt like coming home.
We kind of got carried away with dinner last night, so I had to do all my packing this morning. I was determined to start dumping stuff, so I left a pair of jeans that I never liked, three rather plain t-shirts, a pair of sweat pants I’d never worn, and a golf shirt that I never really cared for. It’s a small start, and it felt pretty good, but there’s a lot more work to be done here.
We get to the airport, and the check-in lady advised me that our flight has changed gates. Instead of Gate 1, we’ll be leaving from Gate 2. Well, there are only two gates at the entire airport. Furthermore, the gates are so small, they check your passport and do the X-ray and metal detector right as you go into the boarding area for your flight. And these are not NTS knuckle-heads manning the stations, these are fit, military-looking guys dressed all in black with guns strapped to their thighs.
The lady, in front of me had a problem because she forgot to take a Swiss-Army knife out of her carry-on bag and put it into checked baggage. They catch it in the X-ray machine, and are confiscating it. As she is holding up the line I look back at my buddy John, only to see him being taken away by another of the armed security guards.
I think to myself, well, I guess I really don’t know the guy all that well, and maybe he’s got an outstanding international warrant or two. Turns out, he had bought a camera in BA right before coming up here and had it in the original box. It cost about 3x what a similar camera would cost in the US because the Argentines tax the crap out of everything electronic. A lot of people come up here and cross into Paraguay to buy electronic stuff because it’s so much cheaper. The Policia wanted to have a little chat with John about where he bought it, thinking that he may owe them a little “tribute”.
Turns out our flight was delayed by a little more than an hour. The strange part was that not a single announcement was ever made about the delay. And about 30 minutes after the in-bound flight finally arrived, people just got up and boarded for the departure, again, without any announcement or order.
Arriving in BA this afternoon was really cool. After being gone a month, it just felt very comfortable, almost like I was coming home. Flying in, I know all the landmarks and the neighborhoods. I give the cabbie directions on where I wanted to go, and asked him some questions to follow up on some of the stuff that was going on when I left. I made some calls to local friends, and picked out a couple of restaurants that I knew (and missed) for upcoming dinners. Like I said, it kind of felt like coming home.
Back to Brazil
Tuesday, Mar 4 – Day 78
We hired a cab to take us over to the Brazilian side. I think it was something like 15 miles each way, and the driver waited for 3 hours while we toured the parks. Then, he drove us back to the hostel on the Argentine side. Total cost for the two of us, US$30.00.
Since I had already been to the Brazilian side, I went to the Parque de Aves (bird park) while John went to see the falls. It’s a 14 acre park cut right out of the jungle, and has several large aviaries that you walk through. A few of the more interesting things that I learned were that the Harpy Eagle is the largest raptor in the World, and its prey includes monkeys and sloths. Its claws, literally, are as large as my hands. The Golden Parakeet is a beautiful, small, green and yellow bird. It’s also an endangered species. Since a young chick is more valuable than an older bird, the traffickers will rip many of the feathers out of a mature bird to make it look like a chick. Unfortunately, many of the birds just die from the trauma. The strangest thing I saw didn’t even involve birds. There were about 100 centipedes crossing a sidewalk, and they were all just globed together in one big ball. This big hunk of bug-mass was just sort of slithering across the walk. I guess some ride on the backs of the others for a while, then at some point they probably find themselves at the bottom of the pile and have to take their turn carrying the others. I wondered what it would feel like to step on it.
Tomorrow, I’m flying down to Buenos Aires for a few days to catch up with some friends, then further South to Patagonia. I’ll be visiting the Perito Moreno glacier in Argentina, then hiking and camping in the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile. After that, I’ll come back up to see the peaks of Fitz Roy, before heading up to the “lake areas” of both Chile and Argentina. I know that I’ll be moving around a lot, and now realize that I have too much stuff to lugging around all the time.
I spent some time thinking about how I’m going to lighten my load, and then went to the local DHL station to see what it would cost to send a package of clothes back to the states. Believe it or not, it’s US$186.00 for 2 kilograms (about 5 lbs.) The Argentine Post Office will send 5 kilos for $97.00 pesos (US$30.00), but they are only accepting 2 kilo packages today.
While investigating all of this, I saw a motorcycle get side-swiped by a car. I heard the “thud”, and turned to see a guy and a girl laid out in the street. The driver stopped, helped them up, and then moved the motorcycle out of the intersection. The police were there within minutes, picked up the motorcycle and put it in the back of their truck and drove off.
Looking around the accident site, I noticed that this is an intersection of two roads that are not perpendicular. In one of the obtuse angles, another road comes in, making it a 5-way intersection. So, of course, there is not a single stoplight, or stop sign, or yield sign on any corner. No wonder the motorcycle guy gets crushed.
We hired a cab to take us over to the Brazilian side. I think it was something like 15 miles each way, and the driver waited for 3 hours while we toured the parks. Then, he drove us back to the hostel on the Argentine side. Total cost for the two of us, US$30.00.
Since I had already been to the Brazilian side, I went to the Parque de Aves (bird park) while John went to see the falls. It’s a 14 acre park cut right out of the jungle, and has several large aviaries that you walk through. A few of the more interesting things that I learned were that the Harpy Eagle is the largest raptor in the World, and its prey includes monkeys and sloths. Its claws, literally, are as large as my hands. The Golden Parakeet is a beautiful, small, green and yellow bird. It’s also an endangered species. Since a young chick is more valuable than an older bird, the traffickers will rip many of the feathers out of a mature bird to make it look like a chick. Unfortunately, many of the birds just die from the trauma. The strangest thing I saw didn’t even involve birds. There were about 100 centipedes crossing a sidewalk, and they were all just globed together in one big ball. This big hunk of bug-mass was just sort of slithering across the walk. I guess some ride on the backs of the others for a while, then at some point they probably find themselves at the bottom of the pile and have to take their turn carrying the others. I wondered what it would feel like to step on it.
Tomorrow, I’m flying down to Buenos Aires for a few days to catch up with some friends, then further South to Patagonia. I’ll be visiting the Perito Moreno glacier in Argentina, then hiking and camping in the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile. After that, I’ll come back up to see the peaks of Fitz Roy, before heading up to the “lake areas” of both Chile and Argentina. I know that I’ll be moving around a lot, and now realize that I have too much stuff to lugging around all the time.
I spent some time thinking about how I’m going to lighten my load, and then went to the local DHL station to see what it would cost to send a package of clothes back to the states. Believe it or not, it’s US$186.00 for 2 kilograms (about 5 lbs.) The Argentine Post Office will send 5 kilos for $97.00 pesos (US$30.00), but they are only accepting 2 kilo packages today.
While investigating all of this, I saw a motorcycle get side-swiped by a car. I heard the “thud”, and turned to see a guy and a girl laid out in the street. The driver stopped, helped them up, and then moved the motorcycle out of the intersection. The police were there within minutes, picked up the motorcycle and put it in the back of their truck and drove off.
Looking around the accident site, I noticed that this is an intersection of two roads that are not perpendicular. In one of the obtuse angles, another road comes in, making it a 5-way intersection. So, of course, there is not a single stoplight, or stop sign, or yield sign on any corner. No wonder the motorcycle guy gets crushed.
The Argentine Side of Iguazu
Monday, Mar 3 – Day 77
John decided to do the visa thing because they can turn it around in a day and they don’t need as much paperwork. After he dropped off his stuff, we took a cab to the Argentine side of the falls. From here, you are up close and personal with the water. The views aren’t as inspiring, but you can certainly feel the power of the falls.
I did an excursion that puts you in a zodiac boat, drives around for a while to give you some good views, and then actually drives you into the falls. Seriously. They drive into the falls in two places. The water comes down so hard, that you are blinded in a white-out from all the water. No tour company in the US would ever try this, but I’ll bet that no jury in Argentina would ever find the operator at fault. You get completely soaked, which was OK by me because the weather was hot, and the water really felt good. On the other hand, my camera is now sputtering a bit, and the zoom feature only works sporadically. Oh well, I’d already broken the LCD screen in France back in October, so I was going to consider it a victory if this camera even made it home.
John decided to do the visa thing because they can turn it around in a day and they don’t need as much paperwork. After he dropped off his stuff, we took a cab to the Argentine side of the falls. From here, you are up close and personal with the water. The views aren’t as inspiring, but you can certainly feel the power of the falls.
I did an excursion that puts you in a zodiac boat, drives around for a while to give you some good views, and then actually drives you into the falls. Seriously. They drive into the falls in two places. The water comes down so hard, that you are blinded in a white-out from all the water. No tour company in the US would ever try this, but I’ll bet that no jury in Argentina would ever find the operator at fault. You get completely soaked, which was OK by me because the weather was hot, and the water really felt good. On the other hand, my camera is now sputtering a bit, and the zoom feature only works sporadically. Oh well, I’d already broken the LCD screen in France back in October, so I was going to consider it a victory if this camera even made it home.
Foz do Iguaçu
Sunday, Mar 2 – Day 76
Iguaçu (Brazil) or Iguazu (Argentina) is widely regarded as the most amazing set of waterfalls in the World. The border between Brazil and Argentina is defined by Rio Iguaçu, which splits off from the nearby Rio Parana (Paraguay and Ciudad Oeste are on the other side of Rio Parana). The unique geology here has created more than 275 separate waterfalls, or cataracts, along a 5 kilometer (+/- 3 mi.) stretch of cliffs. The average height of the falls is nearly 300 feet, and while all of the waterfalls physically lie within Argentina, I think that the best views are from the Brazilian side.
There’s a city on each side of the river, the Brazilians call their city Foz do Iguaçu (population 300,000) and the Argentines call their city Puerto Iguazu (population 5,000). I got to the bus station on the Brazilian side at around 8:30 am, did a quick look around, and found a place to check my bags. It was still early, so I took a bus to the falls to have a look from their side first. My buddy John is flying in from BA this afternoon and he doesn’t have a visa for Brazil. He hadn’t really planned on going to Brazil, and the US$130.00 price tag might just be a little much for one day of tourism. So, I figured I might as well knock this out while I was here and had some time.
Most of the views are from quite a distance, but they are absolutely stunning. A walkway runs almost the entire distance of the Brazilian side, and it seems that there’s a “Kodak moment” every few feet. I don’t think that words could ever describe it, so I won’t. The only thing that I think I can say with any certainty is that these pictures will hardly do it justice.
The city of Foz do Iguaçu is actually quite impressive. There are numerous twenty to thirty story condo towers, nice parks and restaurants, and it all looked very nice. About 8 miles up the Rio Parana is Itaipu Dam, the largest hydroelectric generating station in the World. It produces 90 billion kilowatt hours per year, and provides about 25% of Brazil’s electricity.
Once I got back to the bus station, I picked up my bags, and then took a cab to the Argentine side. We’re staying at a hostel, which actually turned out to be pretty nice. It’s a large property with a swimming pool, large deck and common area, and a bar. Dinner was an all you can eat BBQ and all you can drink caipirinhas for $25.00 pesos (US$8.00). Man, I like being back in Argentina.
Iguaçu (Brazil) or Iguazu (Argentina) is widely regarded as the most amazing set of waterfalls in the World. The border between Brazil and Argentina is defined by Rio Iguaçu, which splits off from the nearby Rio Parana (Paraguay and Ciudad Oeste are on the other side of Rio Parana). The unique geology here has created more than 275 separate waterfalls, or cataracts, along a 5 kilometer (+/- 3 mi.) stretch of cliffs. The average height of the falls is nearly 300 feet, and while all of the waterfalls physically lie within Argentina, I think that the best views are from the Brazilian side.
There’s a city on each side of the river, the Brazilians call their city Foz do Iguaçu (population 300,000) and the Argentines call their city Puerto Iguazu (population 5,000). I got to the bus station on the Brazilian side at around 8:30 am, did a quick look around, and found a place to check my bags. It was still early, so I took a bus to the falls to have a look from their side first. My buddy John is flying in from BA this afternoon and he doesn’t have a visa for Brazil. He hadn’t really planned on going to Brazil, and the US$130.00 price tag might just be a little much for one day of tourism. So, I figured I might as well knock this out while I was here and had some time.
Most of the views are from quite a distance, but they are absolutely stunning. A walkway runs almost the entire distance of the Brazilian side, and it seems that there’s a “Kodak moment” every few feet. I don’t think that words could ever describe it, so I won’t. The only thing that I think I can say with any certainty is that these pictures will hardly do it justice.
The city of Foz do Iguaçu is actually quite impressive. There are numerous twenty to thirty story condo towers, nice parks and restaurants, and it all looked very nice. About 8 miles up the Rio Parana is Itaipu Dam, the largest hydroelectric generating station in the World. It produces 90 billion kilowatt hours per year, and provides about 25% of Brazil’s electricity.
Once I got back to the bus station, I picked up my bags, and then took a cab to the Argentine side. We’re staying at a hostel, which actually turned out to be pretty nice. It’s a large property with a swimming pool, large deck and common area, and a bar. Dinner was an all you can eat BBQ and all you can drink caipirinhas for $25.00 pesos (US$8.00). Man, I like being back in Argentina.
I Hate To Say Good Bye to Floripa
Saturday, Mar 1 – Day 75
My surf instructor Evandro is in a competition today at Mole. I’ll get to see his first two heats before I have to head off to catch the bus to Iguacu. For some reason, the beach crowd is particularly good looking today. Ha!
When you take the “omnibus” you check your bags, kind of like being on an airplane. You don’t see them again until you get to your destination. I’m in my shorts, flip-flops, and a t-shirt, and everything else is in my checked bags. My “leite” section (1st class) is on the bottom of the double-decker bus. There are only 9 seats in a small room that fits between the two axels. Checked baggage is behind us, a rest room and the driver are in front, and everyone else is up on top. I was a little concerned about getting cold through the night until the steward came through and gave everyone a bag with a nice blanket and a pillow. Then, he gave us each a box with some airline-quality food. The bus is a pretty good way to go if you have the time and want to save a little money. The first class seats are great, and there’s plenty of room. But I can’t really say that I got any quality sleep.
Overall, Floripa just kind of snuck up, grabbed me, and wouldn’t let me go. I had only planned on staying a few days while on my way further south to Uruguay, but ended up staying for three weeks. think that part of it was that I’d been running pretty hard for 5 or 6 weeks, and another part was that this was just a really, really cool place to relax. The beaches were beautiful, the water was warm, the people were wonderful, and Regis kept serving up the cold beers at Beer Praia. This is not a place with great restaurants, five-star hotels, and lots of entertainment options. But I could have easily stayed for another month.
Friday, Feb 29 – Day 74
Today is my last full day in Floripa, it’s raining and the waves are ugly. I leave for Iguacu at 6:00 pm tomorrow evening. Fourteen hours on the bus, and I should arrive at 8:00 am on Sunday. If all goes as planned, I’ll be meeting my buddy John from San Diego there. Bus fare was R$212.00. Seems like a lot, but it’s a big, comfy, first class seat that reclines 180 degrees and I don’t have to pay for a night of accommodation. Three seats across (2 and 1), and I have the single. Had to go to Centro to buy the ticket (5 ½ hours for the 10-mile round-trip), but the upside was that I had the best shrimp empanadas ever at the public market.
Today is my last full day in Floripa, it’s raining and the waves are ugly. I leave for Iguacu at 6:00 pm tomorrow evening. Fourteen hours on the bus, and I should arrive at 8:00 am on Sunday. If all goes as planned, I’ll be meeting my buddy John from San Diego there. Bus fare was R$212.00. Seems like a lot, but it’s a big, comfy, first class seat that reclines 180 degrees and I don’t have to pay for a night of accommodation. Three seats across (2 and 1), and I have the single. Had to go to Centro to buy the ticket (5 ½ hours for the 10-mile round-trip), but the upside was that I had the best shrimp empanadas ever at the public market.
Houston, We Have a Problem
I looked at the calendar today and realized that I only have 2 months left before my scheduled return. The two extra weeks I spent here in Floripa were fabulous, but my list of things to do is long, and I now may have some serious issues with fitting everything in as planned. Looks like I can push my flight back by a month for a fee of only $150.00. Not bad. I sent an e-mail to my tenant asking him if he’d like to stay another month.
Otherwise, my outside constraint is that I want to be home for Memorial Day and the Indy 500. I’ve got 30 races under my belt, and from here on out, I’m just not going to miss one. Ever.
I also think I’m carrying around too much stuff. Up to now, I’ve had mostly longer stays, but this will change soon as I will start to move around more frequently. I’m going to have to start pitching things to reduce the load. One mistake I made was bringing too many of my favorite t-shirts. Like the San Diego Harley shirt. When I bought my bike, my salesman Thor handed me the shirt, shook my hand, and said “Welcome to the family”. It’s also the shirt I was wearing when I had that little incident in Mexico – a great story since it all turned out OK. I can’t just throw that away. Same with the Admiral Nelson’s Rum shirt that I got in Australia. I don’t really remember how I got it, but it holds a lot of great memories now. And now I have the Quilmes Beer shirt from Buenos Aires. The Lotado shirt from Rio. The surf school shirt that Evandro gave me. This is a problem.
Otherwise, my outside constraint is that I want to be home for Memorial Day and the Indy 500. I’ve got 30 races under my belt, and from here on out, I’m just not going to miss one. Ever.
I also think I’m carrying around too much stuff. Up to now, I’ve had mostly longer stays, but this will change soon as I will start to move around more frequently. I’m going to have to start pitching things to reduce the load. One mistake I made was bringing too many of my favorite t-shirts. Like the San Diego Harley shirt. When I bought my bike, my salesman Thor handed me the shirt, shook my hand, and said “Welcome to the family”. It’s also the shirt I was wearing when I had that little incident in Mexico – a great story since it all turned out OK. I can’t just throw that away. Same with the Admiral Nelson’s Rum shirt that I got in Australia. I don’t really remember how I got it, but it holds a lot of great memories now. And now I have the Quilmes Beer shirt from Buenos Aires. The Lotado shirt from Rio. The surf school shirt that Evandro gave me. This is a problem.
Praia do Joaquina
Sunday, Feb 24 – Day 69
I went to Praia da Joaquina today. It’s further south than Mole. There is only one road to the beach, and then only two small hotels and a couple of restaurants once you get there. Nobody just stumbles upon it; you have to plan to go there. So, even though it’s a beautiful Sunday, it looks like very few people are at the beach. It’s a long shallow crescent, and takes a direct hit from the ocean. The waves are a little smaller than Mole, but a little more consistent, so it’s also one of the surfers’ favorites. It became a little too touristy over that last couple of years, and that’s why a lot of them moved up to Mole.
I got home to Barra at about 4:00 then went to down to check out the beach here. Waves are still small, so I went to Beer Praia. Regis’ roommate Dan was there, and he was bummed-out because he’d lost his surfboard. The worst part was that it was a self-inflicted wound. He left it outside of a store while doing some shopping, forgot that he had with him, and just walked home without it. It was the next day that he remembered it, but it was long gone by then.
I went to Praia da Joaquina today. It’s further south than Mole. There is only one road to the beach, and then only two small hotels and a couple of restaurants once you get there. Nobody just stumbles upon it; you have to plan to go there. So, even though it’s a beautiful Sunday, it looks like very few people are at the beach. It’s a long shallow crescent, and takes a direct hit from the ocean. The waves are a little smaller than Mole, but a little more consistent, so it’s also one of the surfers’ favorites. It became a little too touristy over that last couple of years, and that’s why a lot of them moved up to Mole.
I got home to Barra at about 4:00 then went to down to check out the beach here. Waves are still small, so I went to Beer Praia. Regis’ roommate Dan was there, and he was bummed-out because he’d lost his surfboard. The worst part was that it was a self-inflicted wound. He left it outside of a store while doing some shopping, forgot that he had with him, and just walked home without it. It was the next day that he remembered it, but it was long gone by then.
Saturday, Feb.23 – Day 68
I did laundry by hand this morning in an outdoor sink off the back of the kitchen. It’s good that I can practice this in a controlled environment, because I think I’ll be doing in on a rock beside a stream in the Andes in a couple of weeks when I go down to Torres del Paine in the Patagonia.
Walked down to the beach to do some surfing at about 1:00. The private lesson has paid off handsomely. I was able to determine a decent position in the water, then pick out the good waves and get into position to pick them up. Got in a lot of repetitions, and was probably able to make a decent run out of the waves I picked 8 out of 10 times.
In honor of my success, I rewarded myself with a little quality time at Beer Praia, where I met a couple of girls from Montana. That certainly doesn’t happen a lot.
They are leaving tomorrow, but we’re going to meet up again at the nightly beach party. Every night, the city sets up drink tents, and some local musicians hang out and play some music. The usual entrepreneurial drink and food vendors also show up, and the party typically lasts until sunrise.
I did laundry by hand this morning in an outdoor sink off the back of the kitchen. It’s good that I can practice this in a controlled environment, because I think I’ll be doing in on a rock beside a stream in the Andes in a couple of weeks when I go down to Torres del Paine in the Patagonia.
Walked down to the beach to do some surfing at about 1:00. The private lesson has paid off handsomely. I was able to determine a decent position in the water, then pick out the good waves and get into position to pick them up. Got in a lot of repetitions, and was probably able to make a decent run out of the waves I picked 8 out of 10 times.
In honor of my success, I rewarded myself with a little quality time at Beer Praia, where I met a couple of girls from Montana. That certainly doesn’t happen a lot.
They are leaving tomorrow, but we’re going to meet up again at the nightly beach party. Every night, the city sets up drink tents, and some local musicians hang out and play some music. The usual entrepreneurial drink and food vendors also show up, and the party typically lasts until sunrise.
Wednesday, Feb 20 – Day 65
Had a private lesson with Evandro this morning at Praia Mole. Carlos, Sam, and Evandro’s wife Vanessa joined in for the trip as well. The waves will be larger, so they should be easier for me to catch. I went to this beach last week because it’s known as great surf spot, but also because it also attracts more of the “beautiful people”. The scary part is that the waves were 20 feet tall. Evandro says that we won’t see anything like that today.
Most waves were 6 to 8 feet, which really wasn’t that bad. The hard part was the foot-high chop created by the on-shore wind, and the southern current which kept sweeping us down from the spot where the waves were breaking. By the time I got back outside the break after each run, it seemed like I always had to paddle 100 yards north, into the chop and against the current, to get back to the right spot. It was so tiring that when I’d finally get there, I’d have to let a couple of good waves pass me by just so I could catch my breath. But in the time that it would take me for to recover, the current would move me 20 yards south again, and I’d have to paddle up once more to get the right spot to hit the next wave. Once Evandro coached me into position, however, I did manage to catch my share of good waves, and had a blast.
Evandro is an animal surfer. I asked him to just speak his thoughts out loud while he caught a few waves. He’s like a shark. Always looking, paddling, evaluating where the previous waves were breaking, where the next waves are coming from, and marking his position on the beach. He looks at every wave, estimates the proper take-off spot, and determines if he can get there or not. Then, makes catching it look effortless.
After our session, he told me that I surprised him on one particular wave. He saw me going for it, but thought that I had either miss-judged the take-off spot or wouldn’t be able to get there in time. But I got there, picked it up, and had a nice run. It’s kind of like that one good golf shot that keeps you coming back again and again, even though the rest of your game sucks.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Surfing Issues
Tuesday, Feb. 19 – Day 64
Surfed this morning, well, I tried to anyway. Got into the water about 9:00, and out at about 10:30. I can’t seem to get in the right spot to catch the wave. I’m either too far out, or too far in; I pick the wrong wave, or the wrong time to stand up. When I am in the right spot, getting up is easy. Otherwise, I do an awful lot of paddling around.
One of the challenges is that, due to the position of the moon, the tides are pretty modest. You’d think that the smaller waves would be easier to work with, but they move faster. So, I have to carry more speed into the wave, and hit a smaller take-off spot to catch it. It’s really challenging for a beginner. I’ll do a private lesson with Evandro tomorrow to help sort this out.
Met a guy named Sam at the surf shack. He’s from New York, recently graduated from Penn, and has been down here for 9 months – he’s not sure what to do with his political science degree. He’s travelled around a lot, and gave me some good tips. One of his best friends went to Indiana University.
Total Relaxation
Monday, Feb. 18 – Day 63
Today, I believe that I have reached total relaxation. I am on an island; I have few possessions; and I am +/- 6,000 miles from home. I have few responsibilities, and I don’t really need to deal with the outside world at all. Now that my situation is set for the next two weeks, I don’t have to think any more than an hour ahead. And when I do think, it’s about something doing something fun.
Today was a stunning day with moderate temperature and sunny skies. I walked down to the beach, but waves were small, so I went to my favorite lunch spot and pulled up a chair. There, I met two girls from Ireland. They are off to Rio in a few hours, which is 36 hours by bus. The only reason they are going to Rio is because they have to catch a flight to Santiago, Chile. They have “round-the-world” airplane tickets that allow them 10 stops wherever they want, as long as they keep going in the same general direction. They expect to be gone for seven months. They had only planned on being here in Florianopolis for 4 days, but ended up staying for two weeks.
I stopped at the fruit and vegetable stand on my way home from Beer Praia. Everything is the same price. You just put it all in a single bag and weigh it, then pay by the kilo. I bought two mangos, a papaya, four bananas, a lime, some carrots and a head of broccoli, all for about US$3.00. I just love having a fresh mango as part of my everyday breakfast.
I have not worn shoes or long pants for 3 weeks, and am happy to spend the afternoon just sorting out the 883 songs on my I-pod. Later, I’ll read out loud from my book on the history of Buenos Aires to try and keep up my Spanish. After that, I'll look for an interesting new restaurant for dinner. That’s a pretty full day for me right now.
The 4 1/2 Hour Trip to the ATM
Sunday, Feb 17 – Day 62
There’s a joke here that Brazilians like to tell. During the creation of the world, one of the archangels looking over God’s shoulder comments, “It looks like you’ve given everything to Brazil. It has the longest beaches, the largest river, the biggest forest, and the best soil. The weather is always warm; there are no floods or hurricanes. Don’t you think that’s a little unfair?” “Ah,” God replies, “just wait until you see the people I’m putting there”.
Brazil has ATM’s everywhere. They are usually empty, however. And only a small number of them are hooked to the Plus or Cirrus system that lets you get money from an American bank. The first one I tried at the airport worked, but had a daily limit of R$400.00 (about US$230.00). It turns out that the limit was so low because it only had R$10.00 bills. Ever try to put forty $10.00 bills in your wallet or money clip?
The single ATM in Barra is not connected to US banks. So to get cash, I have to take a bus into Lagoa or even further into Centro (downtown Florianopolis), which is unique experience on its own. Cash is important because few businesses take credit cards, and when they do, they usually only accept one flavor. Visa or MasterCard, but not both. I’ve only got about R$20.00 left because I spent all my cash on renting the house. I still need to get some groceries and pay for my surfboard rental tomorrow morning.
My first opportunity is with the HSBC ATM in Lagoa, but I know that one is empty – I tried it yesterday. They fill the machines up on Friday, then, they don’t come back until Monday. If a machine is out of money, it just powers off, and this one is dark. So, it’s on to Centro.
Busses here run on a hub-and-spoke system. There are 9 “regions” on the island and each one has a “regional hub”. All of the local busses in a region take one route to the regional hub. If I want to go to another location with the region, I’ve got to go to the hub first, then switch to the other bus. Then there’s Centro, the main bus station for the whole island. All the regional hubs, then, have a bus to Centro. So, if you want to go to another region, you have to go to Centro first, then take a bus to that regional hub, then, maybe a fourth bus to get to your final destination.
A bus ride to a regional hub or Centro costs R$2.50, but you only pay once. When you get on the bus, you don’t pay the driver, there’s a second person managing a cash box and a turn-style. At the regional hub, you get off the first bus and enter the next bus from the back (behind the turn-style). This works because you can’t enter the regional hub on foot without paying the R$2.50 – so everyone that has access to a bus has already paid somewhere along the line. At Centro, everyone has to get off. To board a bus at Centro, you have to get on in the front and pay the R$2.50.
The bus from Barra to Lagoa, the regional hub, leaves the end-point here every 24 minutes but they don’t post a schedule, and they can’t tell you what time it will be at any of the intermediate stops. There are also small yellow busses, “executivos”, that run the same routes, but on a different time schedule. They go directly to Centro without stopping at the regional hub. They are air-conditioned, have bigger seats, and cost R$4.50 per trip. R$2.50 to $4.50 seems expensive for a 2-mile bus trip, but guess what? They have to charge a fare that covers the cost of the service. They can’t afford to subsidize it. You can buy a monthly bus pass, but not at a regional station. You have to go to Centro and also show proof of residency.
Well, after making it to Centro, which took an hour and a half for the 5-mile trip, it took 8 stops at various banks to find an ATM machine that worked. The elapsed time for the round-trip was 4 ½ hours. The only upside was that I could consider it a sight-seeing trip since I hadn’t been to Centro yet.
The currency is another challenge, especially the “monetas”, or coins. There are 10 different monetas in circulation. Some 10 centavo monetas are gold and small, others are silver and larger. Same for 25 centavo and 5 centavo monetas. There are two different 50 centavo monetas, both are silver, and one of them is the same size as the silver 25 centavo moneta. Not that big a deal, really, but a little inconvenient when you’ve got a fist-full various colors and sizes and you’re trying to count out the right amount for bus fare.
There’s a joke here that Brazilians like to tell. During the creation of the world, one of the archangels looking over God’s shoulder comments, “It looks like you’ve given everything to Brazil. It has the longest beaches, the largest river, the biggest forest, and the best soil. The weather is always warm; there are no floods or hurricanes. Don’t you think that’s a little unfair?” “Ah,” God replies, “just wait until you see the people I’m putting there”.
Brazil has ATM’s everywhere. They are usually empty, however. And only a small number of them are hooked to the Plus or Cirrus system that lets you get money from an American bank. The first one I tried at the airport worked, but had a daily limit of R$400.00 (about US$230.00). It turns out that the limit was so low because it only had R$10.00 bills. Ever try to put forty $10.00 bills in your wallet or money clip?
The single ATM in Barra is not connected to US banks. So to get cash, I have to take a bus into Lagoa or even further into Centro (downtown Florianopolis), which is unique experience on its own. Cash is important because few businesses take credit cards, and when they do, they usually only accept one flavor. Visa or MasterCard, but not both. I’ve only got about R$20.00 left because I spent all my cash on renting the house. I still need to get some groceries and pay for my surfboard rental tomorrow morning.
My first opportunity is with the HSBC ATM in Lagoa, but I know that one is empty – I tried it yesterday. They fill the machines up on Friday, then, they don’t come back until Monday. If a machine is out of money, it just powers off, and this one is dark. So, it’s on to Centro.
Busses here run on a hub-and-spoke system. There are 9 “regions” on the island and each one has a “regional hub”. All of the local busses in a region take one route to the regional hub. If I want to go to another location with the region, I’ve got to go to the hub first, then switch to the other bus. Then there’s Centro, the main bus station for the whole island. All the regional hubs, then, have a bus to Centro. So, if you want to go to another region, you have to go to Centro first, then take a bus to that regional hub, then, maybe a fourth bus to get to your final destination.
A bus ride to a regional hub or Centro costs R$2.50, but you only pay once. When you get on the bus, you don’t pay the driver, there’s a second person managing a cash box and a turn-style. At the regional hub, you get off the first bus and enter the next bus from the back (behind the turn-style). This works because you can’t enter the regional hub on foot without paying the R$2.50 – so everyone that has access to a bus has already paid somewhere along the line. At Centro, everyone has to get off. To board a bus at Centro, you have to get on in the front and pay the R$2.50.
The bus from Barra to Lagoa, the regional hub, leaves the end-point here every 24 minutes but they don’t post a schedule, and they can’t tell you what time it will be at any of the intermediate stops. There are also small yellow busses, “executivos”, that run the same routes, but on a different time schedule. They go directly to Centro without stopping at the regional hub. They are air-conditioned, have bigger seats, and cost R$4.50 per trip. R$2.50 to $4.50 seems expensive for a 2-mile bus trip, but guess what? They have to charge a fare that covers the cost of the service. They can’t afford to subsidize it. You can buy a monthly bus pass, but not at a regional station. You have to go to Centro and also show proof of residency.
Well, after making it to Centro, which took an hour and a half for the 5-mile trip, it took 8 stops at various banks to find an ATM machine that worked. The elapsed time for the round-trip was 4 ½ hours. The only upside was that I could consider it a sight-seeing trip since I hadn’t been to Centro yet.
The currency is another challenge, especially the “monetas”, or coins. There are 10 different monetas in circulation. Some 10 centavo monetas are gold and small, others are silver and larger. Same for 25 centavo and 5 centavo monetas. There are two different 50 centavo monetas, both are silver, and one of them is the same size as the silver 25 centavo moneta. Not that big a deal, really, but a little inconvenient when you’ve got a fist-full various colors and sizes and you’re trying to count out the right amount for bus fare.
American, or Brazilian?
One of these girls is American named Katheryn, and the other is Brazilian named Rita. Both were very attractive and friendly.
Do you think you tell which is which just fom looking at these pictures?
(You can enlarge the photos in this blog by clicking on them)
Saturday, March 8, 2008
My Little Surf Shack
Friday, Feb 15 – Day 60
I signed up for two weeks with Evandro’s mother for R$700.00, or about US$400.00. That’s about 1/10th the cost of the Intercontinental Rio, and I think that this is going to be more fun.
The little 2-bedroom house is probably about 900 sf, and except for three concrete walls that make up the kitchen and the tile floor throughout, it is made entirely out of mahogany! Walls, ceiling, roof, windows, doors, trim – everything. No phone, no TV, no internet. No hot water except for the typical heating element right above the shower-head. This will work just fine for me!
Evandro gave me a tour of his shop while he was waiting for a guy named Carlos, who wanted to come by and see a surfboard. The shop is at least twice the size of the house, and Evandro does everything from shaping the blank, painting, and fiberglass work back there. Carlos seems like a pretty cool guy, he’s a graphic designer, and lived in the States for a year. He bought a new 7‘4” board for R$600.00.
I signed up for two weeks with Evandro’s mother for R$700.00, or about US$400.00. That’s about 1/10th the cost of the Intercontinental Rio, and I think that this is going to be more fun.
The little 2-bedroom house is probably about 900 sf, and except for three concrete walls that make up the kitchen and the tile floor throughout, it is made entirely out of mahogany! Walls, ceiling, roof, windows, doors, trim – everything. No phone, no TV, no internet. No hot water except for the typical heating element right above the shower-head. This will work just fine for me!
Evandro gave me a tour of his shop while he was waiting for a guy named Carlos, who wanted to come by and see a surfboard. The shop is at least twice the size of the house, and Evandro does everything from shaping the blank, painting, and fiberglass work back there. Carlos seems like a pretty cool guy, he’s a graphic designer, and lived in the States for a year. He bought a new 7‘4” board for R$600.00.
Thursday, Feb 14 – Day 59
Absolutely no sign of Valentine’s Day. Not a single heart-shaped sign, red flower, or greeting card to be seen anywhere. Now that’s refreshing.
I have to leave my pousada tomorrow as my week is up and my unit is already booked. Bara is too nice to leave right now and I want to stay longer, so I looked at some other opportunities today. Mar do Leste is one of the more expensive pousadas, which was OK, but I’m sure there is a better value out there.
I talked to a local “broker” who had a couple of decent units for R$70.00 per night, and Evandro put me together with someone that charges R$90.00 per night – a nice place, but I don’t really care about nice. Clean and cheap is all I want.
There’s a lagoa, or lake, in the middle of the island. Lagoa Conceicao, or just “Lagoa”, is a community on the other side of the lake and just a few kilometers away from Barra. For some reason, it’s larger and nicer than the oceanside community of Barra. I thought there would be cheaper accommodations there since it’s further away from the ocean, and I found a deal for R$50.00 per night (less than US$30.00). I’ll spend R$5.00 per day to get to the beach, but Lagoa is where the nightlife is, and it will all be within walking distance.
I told Evandro that I’d found a place and would be interested in more lessons. After I told him the details, he said that if clean and cheap was all I required; I could have his mom’s small rental house in Barra for the same price. It’s about 5 blocks from the beach. Now that’s convenient.
We went to check it out, and it’s pretty cool. Evandro has a building in the back where he shapes boards during the winter. I’m in!
Wednesday, Feb 13 – Day 58
Evandro says that Fabian and I are good enough to start surfing on our own today while he provides more detailed instruction to the rest of the class. We’ll be just off to the side so that he can watch and make a few comments from a distance. We’re in waist to shoulder high water with maybe a 3 to 4 foot swells. The entire bay has a sand bottom, so it’s pretty safe. We’re just doing repetitions of popping-up, and standing. Not really looking for the curl or a direction. It’s pretty fun stuff, and I can see doing this for a while.
Met Regis’ roommates today at Beer Praia. Dan is the American, and he’s a former mutual fund guy that got tired of dealing with the niceties of marketing the investment products to unsophisticated investors. Has been here for 2 months, but even more interesting, he hasn’t been back to the US for 2 years. He likes a bare-bones lifestyle, and now, just for kicks, is focused on living off as little money as possible. The other night he bartered with a net-fisherman and fed a group of five people for less than US$3.00. He says that his living expenses are about R$5.00 per day, including the rent that he splits with Regis. Lots of tourists come through here, and the other evening, while hiking over huge boulders at the beach with his girlfriend of the day, they got stuck on a rock and had to spend the night. They were rescued the next day, however, by a harpoon fisherman.
Regis’ other roommate is his girlfriend, and they’ve been together for 2 months. She’s from Chile, and has been her for about 8 months. They met on a bus here in Floripa. Sometime next month, they are going to go to Chile so Regis can meet her parents.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Wednesday, Feb 13 – Day 58
Evandro says that Fabian and I are good enough to start surfing on our own today while he provides more detailed instruction to the rest of the class. We’ll be just off to the side so that he can watch and make a few comments from a distance. We’re in waist to shoulder high water with maybe a 3 to 4 foot swells. The entire bay has a sand bottom, so it’s pretty safe. We’re just doing repetitions of popping-up, and standing. Not really looking for the curl or a direction. It’s pretty fun stuff, and I can see doing this for a while.
Met Regis’ roommates today at Beer Praia. Dan is the American, and he’s a former mutual fund guy that got tired of dealing with the niceties of marketing the investment products to unsophisticated investors. Has been here for 2 months, but even more interesting, he hasn’t been back to the US for 2 years. He likes a bare-bones lifestyle, and now, just for kicks, is focused on living off as little money as possible. The other night he bartered with a net-fisherman and fed a group of five people for less than US$3.00. He says that his living expenses are about R$5.00 per day, including the rent that he splits with Regis. Lots of tourists come through here, and the other evening, while hiking over huge boulders at the beach with his girlfriend of the day, they got stuck on a rock and had to spend the night. They were rescued the next day, however, by a harpoon fisherman.
Regis’ other roommate is his girlfriend, and they’ve been together for 2 months. She’s from Chile, and has been her for about 8 months. They met on a bus here in Floripa. Sometime next month, they are going to go to Chile so Regis can meet her parents.
Fabian is a pretty cute girl from Switzerland that’s in my surf class. She’s been in South America for 3 months, has spent a fair amount of time Argentina already, and took a language course like I did. She got a job offer back home after being here for only a month, and they wanted her to return within a few weeks. She asked if she could start in two months and they said no, so she turned it down. A couple weeks later they called her back, and said she could start in March.
I’m getting a pretty good tan by now, even though I always use #30 sunscreen. I’m on my second bottle, which cost R$29.00 for 125 ml, or about US$18.00 for a little over 4 oz’s. I also had my hair cut really short, which was a much better deal for R$10.00.
The temperature is generally in the middle 80’s with some humidity, which is hot, but that’s fine with me. The water is in the 70’s and feels great. No need for a wet-suit. You don’t need to bring anything to the beach, vendors rent or selling anything you could want. And it’s all useful stuff; you don’t get the Mexican hard-sell for cheap jewelry. An umbrella and a chair are essential – they rent for a few R$’s for the day, or just plop down in front of Beer Praia and order a beer. Regis will bring out an umbrella, and a 650 cc bottle of Bhoemia for you in its own little cooler.
Believe it or not, the city actually operates drink tents in 3 or 4 locations. They sell healthy stuff, like fruit drinks and ice cold coconuts with a straw in them. The grilled cheese vendors are interesting. They have sticks of cheese, and they grill them over a charcoal box that they carry around with them. To get the coals fired up, they swing the contraption round and round like a softball pitcher winding-up. I would’t think of buying cashews on the beach, but there they are, guys carrying around 5 to 10 pounds of nuts in a big Tupperware container. Beer vendors wheel around cervejas in a can-shaped cooler. Sandwiches, surf boards, swim suits, and sunscreen. It’s all for sale or rent, right here at the beach.
The booze cart guys are fun. There are a couple of them here, and they’ve got their boom-boxes and blenders spinning. Caipirinhas, again, are the Brazilian equivalent of a mojita. The booze is called cochacau, and is a liqueor that’s made from sugar. It’s generally only about 50 proof, but they use a lot of it. Sometimes it’s favored, like naranja, and a lot of people just drink it straight. I think it tastes as bad as Argentine fernete, and its only redeeming quality is that it costs about R$2.25 for a 750 ml bottle.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Surf School
Saturday, Feb 9 – Day 54
Surf school starts at 8:30 am, and runs for an hour and a half. Evandro Santos is the proprietor, and he runs the small shop with his wife Vanessa and two other young guys. I had six or seven people in my group, and it was a lot of fun. After some instruction on the beach, we entered a shallow area and took turns being pushed into a wave with instructions on when to pop up. It all seemed pretty easy and everyone was able to stand up and actually surf a little.
After the lesson, I found a little place on the beach for lunch called Beer Praia (“praia” is Portuguese for beach). Regis (remember the R is pronounced like a J), my waiter, is great kid that’s been living here for about 5 years. He speaks pretty good English, which he picked up from one of his roommates Dan, who is from Aspen.
After Regis hears my story, he introduces me to table of Chilean girls and tells them that I’d like to practice my Spanish. I like this guy, and I think that I will be coming here for lunch every day.
Florianopolis, Brazil
Friday, Feb 8 – Day 53
I did not seem to get much down-time in Rio, so am looking forward to Florianopolis. It’s an hour and half flight or a 36 hour bus ride, so I chose the flight.
I did not seem to get much down-time in Rio, so am looking forward to Florianopolis. It’s an hour and half flight or a 36 hour bus ride, so I chose the flight.
Floripa, as the locals call it, is an island city of about 400,000, and is the capital of the State of Santa Catalina. Nearly all of the local population lives on the inter-coastal side of the island (and across the bridge in the mainland city of Sao Jose), and the oceanfront is either sparsely populated or part of a biology reserve. The island has become quite popular over the past few years, as it has 42 beaches and very consistent waves for surfing.
I’m in an area called Barra da Lagoa (locally known as just “Bara”). It was originally a small fishing village, and while a small amount of commercial fishing still goes on here, it has now become more of a tourist area. Barra sits at the southern end of beautiful crescent beach that’s +/- 13 km’s long. The northern +/- 11 km’s are part of a nature reserve are completely untouched. Look at it on Google maps, it’s pretty cool.
I’ve booked a week at a “pousada” that’s right off the beach, and 5 days of surf lessons from a former national champion. A pousada is kind of like a small extended stay hotel, though not as nice. Most are simply homes that have been converted or added on to in order to take advantage of the tourism opportunity. Mar do Leste is probably the nicest pousada in the area (that’s what I get for using a travel agent). It’s got maybe 8 units, and is only 50 meters from the beach and the surf school. I get a light breakfast every morning, and I’ve got AC and a slow internet connection.